Dreihundert Männer
Three Hundred Men
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© Jürgen Bauer/Suhrkamp Verlag
About the book
Statement from the jury on the non-fiction book of the year 2026
To this day, the concept of “Germany Inc.” continues to shape our conception of ourselves as a successful economic nation. In his history of the German economy from the early days of industrialisation to the present, Konstantin Richter shows just how little the ideas and assumptions associated with this model still correspond to contemporary realities. Through a skilfully constructed narrative, he reveals how the network of the “300 men” shaped Germany on a personal, economic and political level. One thing becomes clear: this came at a cost. Nostalgia offers no way forward. Konstantin Richter exposes what lies behind the abstract notion of the “German economy”, providing a foundation for drawing the right conclusions for the future.
Statement from the jury on the nomination
Three hundred German men determine the economic fate of the continent. Walther Rathenau wrote this sentence at the beginning of the 20th century in reference to the intricately interwoven network of bankers, captains of industry, and lobbyists that had formed through the rise of companies like Allianz, Krupp, and Siemens. All these men knew one another, spoke regularly – and wheeled and dealed with one another. Right up into the 1990s, this network, known as “Deutschland AG”, which roughly translates to “Germany Inc.”, decisively shaped both political decision-making and the business culture in West Germany and the newly reunified Federal Republic.
Jury evaluation
Drawing on the history of a small male elite, Konstantin Richter constructs a multi-layered portrait of German power structures. At the centre of his analysis are key actors and their personal, economic and political interconnections, which began in the German Empire, became concentrated in Deutschland AG (sometimes referred to as “Germany Inc.” – the closely interlinked network of German banks, insurers and industrial firms after the Second World War) and continue to resonate to this day. A compelling, illuminating book on the continuity of influence and order across 150 years of German economic history.
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Konstantin Richter was born in 1971 and is an author, journalist, and entrepreneur. He wrote regularly for German and English-language publications, such as Die Zeit, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He has also published multiple books, the most recent of which was “Die Kanzlerin: Eine Fiktion”, in 2017.
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