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Joseph Goebbels Billionaire Grandchildren
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In the photo above you see Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels with his wife Magda and their six young children. The man in the military uniform standing in the center of the photo is Magda's son Harald Quandt, from her previous marriage to German industrialist Guenther Quandt. In case you were unaware, Joseph Goebbels was Hitler's right hand man. He was in charge of all Nazi propaganda that included burning of books, destroying synagogues and the general persecution of Jews. While hiding out in Hitler's bunker towards the end of the war, Joseph and Magda murdered their six young children with cyanide pills then committed suicide themselves. The elder son Harald Quandt learned of his family's disturbing demise while serving time in an Allied POW camp in 1947.
Long before World War II, Guenther Quandt (Harald's father) turned an unexceptional family textile business that he inherited from his father Emil Quandt, into one of the earliest German industrial business empires. During World War I, Guenther's company became the largest clothing manufacturer in Germany by producing military uniforms. When WWI was over, Guenther, who was flush with cash, bought a company that made batteries, a company that made sewing machines, a silverware manufacturer and a large stake in car maker Daimler (modern day Mercedes/Chrysler). Guenther was married to a woman named Magda Ritshcel from 1921 – 1927. Guenther had a son from a previous marriage named Herbert before he and Magda welcomed their son Harald. Two years after their divorce, Magda married and would eventually have six children with Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. When Magda and Joseph got married, Adolf Hitler served as best man. During World War II, Guenther's companies capitalized on many war time opportunities. They produced batteries for German submarines, firearms, ammunition, missiles and rocket launchers. There was just one problem. During the war the company's growth was primarily fueled by 50,000 slave laborers including POWs and members of concentration camps.
Joseph Goebbels Family Tree
When Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, Joseph Goebbels became Chancellor of Germany. It was a title Goebbels held for just one day before he and Magda murdered their six young children and committed suicide themselves. Before committing suicide, Goebbels sent his stepson Harald the following note: "It's likely that you'll be the only one to remain who can continue the tradition of our family." After the war, Harald was released from the allied POW camp and Guenther spent time in an internment camp for Nazi sympathizers. Seven years later, Guenther Quandt died and left his thriving empire to sons Harald and Herbert. Harald and Herbert spent the next decade expanding the empire to incredible heights. Herbert purchased 46.7% of BMW in the early 1960s. Harald sold the family's 14% stake in Daimler to the Kuwait Investment Authority for $1 billion in 1974.
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| Mercedes-Benz and BMW |
Fast forward to the present and both Harald and Herbert's surviving children are among the richest people in Germany. Harald's four surviving daughters inherited $760 million when their mother died in 1974. After thirty years of smart investments, the four sisters today share a fortune that has ballooned to $6 billion! And believe it or not, they are the poor side of the family. Today, their two cousins Stefan Quandt and Susanne Klatten (Herbert's children), still own 46.7% of BMW. That stake is worth an astonishing $25.8 billion today!
So how would you feel if you were one of Harald and Herbert's billionaire children today? Would you feel bad that your fortunes were very likely built on the backs of slave labor and prisoners of war? Would you give your money away or would you let bygones be bygones?
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