Walter de Gruyter

The academic publisher Walter de Gruyter was extremely successful during the Nazi regime. Angelika Königseder shows how, led by Herbert Cram, de Gruyter accepted, took part in and substantially profited from the new ideological direction of the state and society. Cram had German nationalist leanings but was not a Nazi; however this did not prevent him from making publishing arrangements with the new ruling powers. While on the one hand the publishing house made efforts to uphold the quality standards of a worldwide academic press, at the same time it also sought the company of state institutions and their eminent scholars. The business policy of the press thus made Walter de Gruyter no different to many other medium-sized businesses in Nazi Germany.