Alfred Krupp: biography. Literary and historical notes of a young technician The personality of Alfred Krupp

Alfred Krupp's grave

Meanwhile, in Germany, Alfred Krupp fought against the Socialist Workers' Party. He was not so much afraid of becoming bankrupt after implementing socialist ideas, but rather viewed his workers as his property, to whom he wanted to instill the opinion he needed through orders and directives. So-called “black lists” of workers who took part in the demonstrations were introduced. Those on the list of workers were fired or not hired. Before each Reichstag election, workers were ordered not to vote for the Socialist Workers' Party.

In 1887, 75-year-old Alfred Krupp died of a heart attack. His son, Friedrich Alfred Krupp, inherited the company, which by that time had 20,000 workers.

Personality of Alfred Krupp

Alfred Krupp was an unusual man. On the one hand, he was a tireless worker who never rested on his laurels. On the other hand, he was a hypochondriac in the extreme, who suffered from depression and did not leave his bed for weeks and months at a time.

He imagined the employer as a patriarch, demanding from his employees not only respect, but also obedience and providing them with a secure existence for this. He had a high opinion of himself as an entrepreneur. In his villa Hugel he received the top officials of Europe. Kings and emperors came to visit him not for receptions, but as clients. Therefore, in 1865, he refused the title of nobility granted to him by the King of Prussia as “inconsistent with his wishes.” His name was Krupp, and that was enough.

Krupp's penchant for graphomania is known. He had a great need to speak out, and he wrote several thousand letters during his life - sometimes several letters a day to the same person. He issued a huge number of directives to his workers. In 1877, Krupp addressed the workers with a “word to the subordinates.” It said: “It is I who introduce inventions and create new industries, not the worker. He must be satisfied with his salary, and whether I make a profit or incur a loss is my own business...”

Krupp always admired England. Therefore, he called himself Alfred, and not his baptismal name Alfrid.

There is a historical anecdote that Krupp loved the smell of horse manure and therefore ordered his office to be built above the stables of Villa Hugel. His fear of fires is also known, because of which the entire interior of the villa was made of non-flammable materials.

On April 26, 1812, Alfred Krupp was born, the most famous German industrialist, inventor, the largest supplier of weapons of his era (“the cannon king”), and the creator of the “iron empire” of the Krupps.

Alfred Krupp was born in Essen. He was the son of industrialist and steel mill owner Friedrich Krupp and his wife Theresa Helena Johanna Wilhelmy (1790-1850). His father was unable to get the factory he founded in Essen back on its feet during his lifetime. He died in 1826, when Alfred was not 14 years old. At this time, the family lived with an aunt in Metternich. The company, which at that time had only seven jobs, was inherited by Friedrich Krupp’s wife, Therese. Friedrich Krupp specifically stipulated in his will that “the factory should become the full property of his wife and a competent person appointed by her who can assist her in management.”

The inventory presented by Teresa Krupp to the board of trustees noted that in 1826 the factory's liabilities exceeded its assets by almost 10,000 thalers. All land plots in Walkmühl and Essen were mortgaged. The widow had only one piece of arable land left in her possession, located near the windmill, not far from Limbekkertor.

Teresa Krupp, in addition to the factory, started a small farm, organized the sale of surplus at the market and thus helped herself and her children. Her advisor in all matters was her son-in-law Karl Schulz, a store owner in Essen. It was Schultz who was the person who helped Teresa Krupp maintain correspondence with the people she needed. He actually became the “advertising agent” of the Krupps - on trips, when he traveled to far-flung customers, he convinced clients not only of the high quality of his goods, but also actively advertised the cast steel produced at the Krupp plant. At that time, the company specialized in the production of various tools: turning tools, chisels, files, tools for leather processing.

As an adult, Alfred Krupp completely rejected the idea of ​​himself as a child prodigy, whose rapid successes were only a consequence of his extraordinary abilities. On the contrary, from the very beginning he was accompanied by bitter disappointments and heavy blows. Alfred Krupp had to leave school in 1826 and go to the smelting furnace in the forge, starting his working career. This was his father's order, and he could not disobey. In search of clients, young Krupp himself traveled around the area, playing the role of either a traveling salesman or a peddler, offering his goods to the population. Features of production that he did not know enough, technical errors that appeared already in the process of work, caused him many unpleasant moments. Of course, among Krupp's workers there were experienced specialists who had worked at the factory under his father. In terms of their working qualifications, they naturally stood above the young heir, but the plant needed an experienced manager who would ensure the transportation of products between the smelting shop and the forge and would be able to profitably organize their sales. During his lifetime, Friedrich Krupp was an open, hospitable person. From early youth he made good friends who helped his son in the early days of his activities. From his father, Alfred also inherited a truly “fatherly” attitude towards workers: A. Krupp cared about his “Kruppians,” as they were later called, all his life.

Soon, Theresa Krupp, together with Friedrich's sister, Helena von Müller, founded a steel company. The agreement establishing the company was signed by all the heirs of Frederick and his sisters. The minor Alfred, as the eldest of the male heirs, took over the management of the company, but until 1830-31 it continued to be an unprofitable enterprise.

According to Krupp’s biographers, the company owed its first success to Alfred’s uncle, Karl von Müller, who, against the will of his parents, invested in production (for which he mortgaged his hereditary Metternich estate). In 1830, it was he who was instrumental in concluding a lucrative contract for the supply of cast steel rollers for the Hüseken railway company in Hagen-Hohenlimburg.

With the development of railway transport in Germany and Europe, the need for steel for the production of rails and axles of steam locomotives has greatly increased. By 1836, Krupp already employed 60 people. In 1838, Krupp patented rollers for the production of steel spoons and forks.

In subsequent years, Alfred traveled all over Europe in search of clients. By that time, the company had expanded significantly, but it was still under threat of bankruptcy. In Lower Austria, Krupp, together with banker and entrepreneur Alexander Scheler, founded a metal products factory. The factory first produced cutlery from silver, and later from alpaca. Upon returning to Germany, Krupp handed over the Berndorf plant to his brother Hermann Krupp. But the plant was also unprofitable at first. “It took seven whole years before we started making money,” Herman later admitted.

In 1844, Krupp's partner changed. Karl Friedrich von Müller finally left the company, and his place was taken by a friend of Alfred Krupp’s youth, Friedrich Zelling, the owner of large capital, a partner of the Trading House “Arnold Theodor Zelling, Essen, Rotterdam.” After Selling's arrival, Krupp enjoyed a short period of commercial success. With the support and connections of Zelling, the company enters into two large agreements with the directorates of the mints in Paris and Utrecht, with which Krupp had been negotiating unsuccessfully for two years. In 1845, in Paris, Alfred Krupp received one of the most profitable orders for the manufacture of four drawing and two adjusting mechanisms with rolls with a diameter of 6-7 3/4 inches. The Utrecht Mint orders from him two drawing and two adjusting mechanisms and three pairs of rollers for each mechanism. Krupp continued to work successfully with this customer in subsequent years.

The balance sheet, drawn up on February 28, 1846, showed good profits, although the co-founders (including Zelling) expected more. The next balance sheet, dated December 31, 1847, already revealed losses in the amount of 21,139 thalers. Krupp and his companions were faced with the need to make a serious decision. Alfred himself had more grandiose plans in his head.

On February 24, 1848, an agreement was concluded under which Alfred Krupp became the sole owner of the steel factory in Essen. This event was complicated by unforeseen circumstances that almost negated the fruits of twenty years of work by Krupp himself and his companions. Revolution broke out in Paris. Already in March it stormed into the Rhineland. Workers in German factories began to break equipment, damage machines, and blackmail owners with mass layoffs. For example, the Remscheider iron foundry of the Prussian trading company was completely destroyed by workers. Only 2 people left Krupp, and two workers were fired; the remaining 70 people continued to work and receive wages, although the financial situation of the plant was very difficult. During this difficult period, Krupp was allowed to survive only by large orders from private railway companies for the production of rails and cast axles for switches. At this time, Krupp goes beyond the needs of the country and conquers the European and world markets. Two decades later, Krupp rails covered large areas of Europe and Russia. The final breakthrough was made by Alfred Krupp thanks to his invention of the seamless wheel for trains in 1852-1853. For decades, these wheels were a staple of Krupp factories, and most American railroads used them. Therefore, the logo of the Krupp company is not a cannon, but three wheels lying on top of each other.

People who knew Alfred Krupp closely in life spoke of him as a quickly formed person, but because of this he was extremely restless. By temperament, he was obviously choleric (friend and companion Zelling more than once called Krupp “the eternal Jew” because Alfred never sat still, he always strived for new achievements, loved to travel, move forward, develop his business ). Today he would be called a “workaholic.” On the other hand, Krupp's periods of extraordinary activity were often followed by periods of hypochondria and long-term depression. It happened that he did not leave his bed for weeks and even months.

In 1853, Alfred Krupp married Bertha Eichhof, who was twenty years his junior. They had a son, Friedrich, but the marriage was unhappy. Krupp was not interested in anything other than his own enterprise. The wife could not live in industrial, dirty Essen. Therefore, Bertha spent most of the year with little Friedrich in Italy. In addition, the character of Alfred Krupp was characterized by stinginess and pettiness in everyday life, as well as incorrigible pessimism, which manifested itself both in his relationships with loved ones and in commercial endeavors.

Actually, the production of weapons, which brought huge profits and worldwide fame to Krupp’s enterprises, also began with failures.

Initially, it was just a hobby of the foundryman Krupp. After seven years of attempts, Alfred himself hand-cast the first rifle barrel in 1843. Attempts to sell steel firearms were unsuccessful, as the military trusted the time-tested bronze more. In 1847, the first steel cannon was cast. The manufacturers immediately presented it to the Prussian War Ministry for review, but officials returned the gun to the arsenal, considering it unpromising. The tests were carried out only two years later. The result exceeded all expectations, but the government had its own suppliers, and officials refused to order guns from Krupp.

For several years, Krupp was engaged in the manufacture and exhibition of individual tools, which “were real works of art.” The head of the Essen company was very pessimistic about the prospects for weapons production. In a letter dated January 19, 1859, Krupp wrote to his Parisian representative:

Only after the victories of Napoleon III over the Austrians, which revived the aggressive policy of Napoleon I in the memory of Europeans, did the situation quickly change. In addition to the steam hammer, which received the name "Fritz", the most significant and expensive new buildings of Krupp in the years 1861-1870 were four cannon workshops that appeared on the factory territory. The "Fritz" steam forging hammer, developed by Krup, made mass production of steel possible using new technologies. The Bessemer technology, which he bought from the UK, and the Martin Siemens technology were first introduced in Germany at the Krupp plant. Bessemer's technology made it possible to produce steel from cast iron by blowing air and speeding up the process of converting iron into steel.

Already in the mid-1860s, government orders literally rained down on the Krupp company.

Thanks to the superiority of Krupp's steel guns over Danish bronze cannons, Prussia won the war with Denmark in 1864. In 1866, in the Austro-Prussian War, for the first time in history, troops equipped with Krupp faced each other. A year later, Krupp improved the bolt of the breech-loading gun. The war with France was won thanks to the range of Prussian steel cannons, which was twice the range of French bronze cannons, which made Krupp a rich man. Emperor Wilhelm I himself called Alfred Krupp the “cannon king.”

In the 1860s, significant changes also occurred in Krupp's personal life. At the insistence of his wife, he leaves the noisy and dusty factory town of Essen and moves his family to a modest rural country house called “Am Hügel” (“On the Hill”), located on the Ruhr River. Soon Krupp began rebuilding it, and over time the modest house turned into a real “family” castle, where the “cannon king” received high-ranking guests, and even persons of imperial blood.

All his life Alfred Krupp was barbaric about his health. Now, after the difficult years he had experienced, his nerves had given way. In 1866, Krupp went on vacation to the south, trying to get away from business concerns for at least some time. On the way he falls ill, in Nice he becomes much worse, and from that moment on he will never feel like an absolutely healthy person.

A German doctor from Germany who treated Krupp in Nice describes him as follows:

Krupp had barely turned 55 years old, but he had already “driven” himself, losing his health and youth. In the 1870-1880s, he remained only the formal head of his enterprises, correctly selected people, gave instructions, filled entire pages with “valuable” instructions to managers and partners, but he himself rarely appeared in production.

In the early years of the German Empire, the output of heavy industry doubled, and the Krupp company became the largest enterprise in Europe. Essen was called nothing other than the “city of Krupp”, and its population increased to ten thousand inhabitants. Despite this, Krupp, who had almost retired due to illness, was constantly under threat of bankruptcy. He almost fell victim to the financial crisis of heavy industry that broke out in Europe in 1874. During the crisis, Krupp owed banks a significant sum of 30 million marks, but quickly eliminated the debt thanks to the boom in railway transport in the United States of America. The Krupp empire avoided the fate of most industrial enterprises in Germany - coming under the control of banking capital.

At the same time, the construction of the Hugel villa building was underway, the technical part of which was personally designed by Alfred Krupp. Out of fear of fires, the building was built without the use of flammable materials and, thanks to its technical improvements (heating, elevators for serving food), became a symbol of industrialization. This construction was not cheap, and most of Krupp’s bank debts were precisely the costs of the villa.

In response to the general strike organized by the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) in 1871, Krupp published the General Regulativ, which was distributed to all workers. Reading today the draft of this provision, drawn up by Krupp during his holiday at the seaside resort of Torquay in England, we can feel the atmosphere in which he found himself. In this document, he acts as a caring owner who feels responsible for everything that happens in him, and wants the next generations to preserve the spirit that made the plant what it has become. On Krupp's instructions, the document was finalized by his authorized representative, supplemented with previously made comments, divided into paragraphs and checked from the point of view of legal formulations. The final version of this provision, dated September 9, 1872, lays the foundations for the management of the factory, its production, includes a set of duties and rights of those working in it, both those responsible for the work as a whole and those responsible for individual sections, regulates the behavior of representatives outside the factory itself and supplements work schedule in production is a mandatory social program. “First of all,” says the draft of this document, “I return loyalty for loyalty.”

Margareta Krupp (wife of Friedrich Alfred, son of Alfred Krupp) brought the enterprise's social policy to a qualitatively new level - under her leadership entire residential villages for workers were built, hospitals and schools were opened.

One of the most famous settlements is Margaretenhöhe ("Margaret's Height") - a village on the outskirts of Essen, built in the English style for factory engineers in 1911. In total, more than 900 residential buildings with more than 3,000 apartments were built (during the Second World War, the village was severely destroyed, but restoration began in 1948. In 1987, the village was recognized as a cultural heritage monument).

The critical historian Robert Jahn, in his history of the city of Essen (1952), evaluates Krupp’s efforts and successes before and after the First World War: “The Krupp factory worker is proud to belong to a world-famous company, and is happy to buy good and cheap goods from his shops and enjoys the comfortable factory apartment; if he is already of retirement age - a cozy house in Altenhof. But this system, based on industrial prosperity, often reveals sharp contradictions. These contradictions did not in any way hinder the workers’ obvious and justified attachment to the company: the Krupp worker at that time was the embodiment of the traditional patriarchal relations that had developed in the factory, and at the same time he felt that he belonged to the working elite.” The duties assigned to workers were strict, but in return they were given significant social privileges. This way workers could get cheaper housing and health insurance. For the first time in Germany, those who worked their whole lives for Krupp were additionally provided with a pension. If an employee was fired, all these privileges were lost. Bismarck's social legislation, which appeared a few years later, was largely guided by Krupp's “General Directive”.

In the 1880s, competition with the American steel industry reached its climax. Krupp lost the American market and with it its main part of the sales market - train wheels. From now on, he concentrated his efforts only on the production and development of weapons. The same applied to his two main competitors: the Frenchman G. Schneider and the Englishman W. Armstrong. The three of them started an arms race that resulted in the weapons battles of World War I.

Krupp had to go through the most bitter moments: his glory was in the past, and he no longer had a task that he wanted and could solve. In 1882, Krupp divorced his wife, who by that time was already very ill, and went to live in Leipzig. He spent the last five years of his life completely alone, in his villa “Hügel”, where he died on July 14, 1887 from a heart attack.

Alfred Krupp was an extraordinary personality, going beyond a simple entrepreneur. He cannot be called a serious specialist: there were many more outstanding technicians, brilliant inventors, and experienced businessmen, but the Krupp steel cannon helped Prussia unite all of Germany in 1871. The Krupps armored the ships of the Imperial German Navy. During the First World War, Krupp factories produced up to 10% of military products; They made no less a contribution to the Nazi war economy. After the defeat of Germany in 1945, the enterprises and mines of this family remained in ruins, but in the process of the rapid post-war development of West Germany, the Krupp company again restored its industrial power...

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Arms sales volumes increased at a very rapid pace. Krupp supplied guns to all European countries except France. This led to further growth of the enterprise and the introduction of innovative technologies into production.

Meanwhile, in Germany, Alfred Krupp fought against the Socialist Workers' Party. He was not so much afraid of becoming bankrupt after implementing socialist ideas, but rather viewed his workers as his property, to whom he wanted to instill the opinion he needed through orders and directives. So-called “black lists” of workers who took part in the demonstrations were introduced. Those on the list of workers were fired or not hired. Before each Reichstag election, workers were ordered not to vote for the Socialist Workers' Party.

The concern, which has existed for almost a century and a half, began with the production of seamless railway wheels (this was indicated by its emblem: three intertwined rings). Already in the First World War, Krupp’s position was simple: to earn as much as possible in the war, and the company directed all its potential to serve the needs of the army - guns, ammunition, new types of weapons. The concept of the concern did not change in any way with the Nazis coming to power, at that time peacefully producing agricultural equipment, but prudently having, since the First World War, a couple of artillery factories transported to Sweden, with a full staff of designers and other valuable personnel. Krupp became the main executor of military orders from Hitler's Germany, quickly producing tanks, self-propelled artillery, infantry trucks, and reconnaissance vehicles.

Although, according to the decision of the Yalta and Postdam Conference, the concern was subject to complete destruction, it, like a phoenix bird, was reborn again - already in 1951, Krupp was released and his entire fortune was returned to him. Alfried Krupp took over the leadership of the company and achieved the cancellation of the decree on the liquidation of the concern. Two decades later, the company’s staff reached 100 thousand employees!

In 1999, Krupp merged with the second German giant Thyssen AG and now their brainchild ThyssenKrupp AG is the leading steel manufacturer in the world.

Excerpt characterizing Krupp, Alfred

Count Axel Fersen Marie Antoinette

As a person, Axel was, as they say, “both inside and out” very attractive. He was tall and graceful, with huge serious gray eyes, always amiable, reserved and modest, which attracted both women and men equally. His correct, serious face rarely lit up with a smile, but if this happened, then at such a moment Axel became simply irresistible... Therefore, it was completely natural for the charming female half to intensify the attention towards him, but, to their common regret, Axel was only interested in there is only one creature in the whole wide world - his irresistible, beautiful queen...
– Will they be together? – I couldn’t stand it. - They are both so beautiful!..
Stella just smiled sadly and immediately plunged us into the next “episode” of this unusual and somehow very touching story...
We found ourselves in a very cozy, flower-scented, small summer garden. All around, as far as the eye could see, there was a magnificent green park, decorated with many statues, and in the distance a stunningly huge stone palace, looking like a small city, could be seen. And among all this “grandiose”, slightly oppressive, surrounding grandeur, only this garden, completely protected from prying eyes, created a feeling of real comfort and some kind of warm, “homely” beauty...
Intensified by the warmth of the summer evening, the dizzyingly sweet smells of blooming acacias, roses and something else that I could not identify were in the air. Above the clear surface of the small pond, as if in a mirror, huge cups of soft pink water lilies and the snow-white “fur coats” of lazy, royal swans, ready for sleep, were reflected. A beautiful young couple was walking along a small, narrow path around a pond. Somewhere in the distance, music was heard, cheerful female laughter shimmered like bells, the joyful voices of many people sounded, and only for these two the world stopped right here, in this small corner of the earth, where at that moment the gentle voices of birds sounded only for them; only for them a playful, light breeze rustled in the rose petals; and only for them, for a moment, time helpfully stopped, giving them the opportunity to be alone - just a man and a woman who came here to say goodbye, not even knowing whether it would be forever...
The lady was charming and somehow “airy” in her modest, white summer dress, embroidered with small green flowers. Her wonderful ashen hair was tied back with a green ribbon, which made her look like a lovely forest fairy. She looked so young, pure and modest that I did not immediately recognize in her the majestic and brilliant beauty of the queen whom I had seen just a few minutes ago in all her magnificent “ceremonial” beauty.

French Queen Marie Antoinette

Next to her, not taking his eyes off her and catching her every move, walked “our friend” Axel. He seemed very happy and, at the same time, for some reason deeply sad... The Queen lightly took his arm and gently asked:
- But what about me, I will miss you so much, my dear friend? Time moves too slowly when you're so far away...
- Your Majesty, why torture me?.. You know why all this is... And you know how hard it is for me to leave you! I have managed to avoid unwanted marriages twice already, but my father does not lose hope of marrying me... He does not like rumors about my love for you. Yes, and I don’t like them, I can’t, I don’t have the right to harm you. Oh, if only I could be close to you!.. To see you, to touch you... How hard it is for me to leave!.. And I am so afraid for you...
– Go to Italy, my friend, they will be waiting for you there. Just don't stay long! I’ll be waiting for you too...” the queen said, smiling affectionately.
Axel fell with a long kiss to her graceful hand, and when he raised his eyes, there was so much love and anxiety in them that the poor queen, unable to bear it, exclaimed:
- Oh, don't worry, my friend! I am so well protected here that even if I wanted to, nothing could happen to me! Travel with God and come back soon...
Axel looked at her beautiful and so dear face for a long time, as if absorbing every feature and trying to keep this moment in his heart forever, and then bowed low to her and quickly walked along the path to the exit, without turning around and without stopping, as if afraid that if he turns around, he simply won’t have enough strength to leave...
And she saw him off with the suddenly moist gaze of her huge blue eyes, in which the deepest sadness lay hidden... She was a queen and had no right to love him. But she was also just a woman whose heart completely belonged to this pure, brave man forever... without asking anyone for permission...
- Oh, how sad it is, isn’t it? – Stella whispered quietly. – How I would like to help them!..
– Do they really need someone’s help? – I was surprised.
Stella just nodded her curly head, without saying a word, and again began showing a new episode... I was very surprised by her deep involvement in this charming story, which so far seemed to me just a very sweet story of someone's love. But since I already knew well the responsiveness and kindness of Stella’s big heart, somewhere in the depths of my soul I was almost sure that everything would probably not be as simple as it seemed at first, and I could only wait...
We saw the same park, but I had no idea how much time had passed there since we saw them in the last “episode.”
That evening, the entire park literally shone and shimmered with thousands of colored lights, which, merging with the flickering night sky, formed a magnificent continuous sparkling fireworks display. Judging by the splendor of the preparations, it was probably some kind of grandiose party, during which all the guests, at the whimsical request of the queen, were dressed exclusively in white clothes and, somewhat reminiscent of ancient priests, “organized” walked through the wonderfully illuminated, sparkling park, heading towards the beautiful stone gazebo, called by everyone - the Temple of Love.

Temple of Love, antique engraving

And then suddenly, behind the same temple, a fire broke out... Blinding sparks soared to the very tops of the trees, staining the dark night clouds with bloody light. The delighted guests gasped in unison, approving the beauty of what was happening... But none of them knew that, according to the queen’s plan, this raging fire expressed the full power of her love... And the real meaning of this symbol was understood only by one person who was present that evening at holiday...
Excited, Axel leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. He still couldn't believe that all this stunning beauty was meant for him.
-Are you satisfied, my friend? – a gentle voice whispered quietly behind him.
“I’m delighted...” Axel answered and turned around: it was, of course, her.
They looked at each other with rapture for only a moment, then the queen gently squeezed Axel’s hand and disappeared into the night...
- Why was he always so unhappy in all his “lives”? – Stella was still sad for our “poor boy”.
To tell the truth, I haven’t seen any “misfortune” yet and therefore I looked in surprise at her sad face. But for some reason the little girl stubbornly refused to explain anything further...
The picture changed dramatically.
A luxurious, very large green carriage was speeding along the dark night road. Axel sat in the coachman's place and, quite skillfully driving this huge carriage, looked around and looked around with obvious anxiety from time to time. It seemed like he was in a wild hurry somewhere or was running away from someone...
Inside the carriage sat the king and queen we already knew, and also a pretty girl of about eight years old, as well as two ladies still unknown to us. Everyone looked gloomy and worried, and even the little girl was quiet, as if she sensed the general mood of the adults. The king was dressed surprisingly modestly - in a simple gray frock coat, with the same gray round hat on his head, and the queen hid her face under a veil, and it was clear that she was clearly afraid of something. Again, this whole scene was very reminiscent of an escape...
Just in case, I looked again in Stella’s direction, hoping for an explanation, but no explanation came - the little girl was very intently watching what was happening, and in her huge doll eyes there was a deep, not at all childish, sadness lurking.
“Well, why?.. Why didn’t they listen to him?!.. It was so simple!..” she suddenly became indignant.
The carriage was rushing all this time at almost crazy speed. The passengers looked tired and somehow lost... Finally, they drove into some large, unlit courtyard, with the black shadow of a stone building in the middle, and the carriage stopped abruptly. The place resembled an inn or a large farm.
Axel jumped to the ground and, approaching the window, was about to say something, when suddenly an authoritative male voice was heard from inside the carriage:
– Here we will say goodbye, Count. It is not worthy for me to expose you to further danger.
Axel, of course, who did not dare to object to the king, only managed to fleetingly touch the queen’s hand as a farewell... The carriage rushed off... and literally a second later disappeared into the darkness. And he was left standing alone in the middle of the dark road, wanting with all his heart to rush after them... Axel felt “in his gut” that he could not, had no right to leave everything to the mercy of fate! He just knew that without him, something would definitely go awry, and everything that he had organized for so long and carefully would completely fail due to some ridiculous accident...
The carriage was no longer visible for a long time, and poor Axel still stood and looked after them, clenching his fists with all his might in despair. Angry male tears flowed sparingly down his deathly pale face...
“This is the end already... I know, this is the end already...” he said quietly.
– Will something happen to them? Why are they running away? – not understanding what was happening, I asked.
- Oh, yes!.. They will now be caught by very bad people and put in prison... even a boy.
-Where do you see the boy here? – I was surprised.
- So he’s just dressed up as a girl! Don't you understand?..
I shook my head. So far, I still didn’t understand almost anything here - neither about the royal escape, nor about the “bad people,” but I decided to just look further without asking anything else.
“These bad people offended the king and queen and wanted to capture them. So they tried to escape. Axel arranged everything for them... But when he was ordered to leave them, the carriage drove slower because the king was tired. He even got out of the carriage to “get some air”... and that’s where they recognized him. Well, they grabbed it, of course...

Pogrom at Versailles Arrest of the royal family

Fear of what is happening... Seeing off Marie Antoinette to the Temple

Stella sighed... and again threw us into another “new episode” of this, not so happy, but still beautiful story...
This time everything looked ominous and even frightening.
We found ourselves in some dark, unpleasant room, as if it was a real evil prison. In a tiny, dirty, damp and fetid room, on a wooden bed with a straw mattress, sat exhausted by suffering, dressed in black, a thin, gray-haired woman, in whom it was completely impossible to recognize that fabulously beautiful, always smiling miracle queen whom young Axel most loved. loved in the world...

Alfred Krupp, son of Friedrich Krupp and his wife Theresa Helena Johanna Wilhelmy (1790-1850), was born in 1812. His father failed to get the factory he founded back on its feet during his lifetime. He died in 1826, when Alfred Krupp was 14 years old. At this time, the family lived with an aunt in Metternich. The company, which at that time had only seven jobs and a debt of 10,000 thalers, was inherited by Friedrich's wife Theresa. Together with Friedrich Krupp's sister, Helena von Müller, née Krupp, a steel company was founded. The agreement establishing the company was signed by all the heirs of Frederick and his sister Helena. Alfred dropped out of school and took over the management of the company, although the company officially belonged to his mother. By 1830 the situation had changed. With the development of railway transport in Germany and Europe, the need for steel for the production of rails and axles of steam locomotives has greatly increased. On August 26, 1830, Krupp, after overcoming some difficulties in steel production, supplied cast steel rollers for the first time to the Hüseken company in Hagen-Hohenlimburg.

The creation of the German Customs Union facilitated freight transport in Germany. In 1836, Krupp already employed 60 people. Alfred Krupp cared about his “Kruppians,” as they were later called, all his life. He introduced health insurance and built apartments for workers. In exchange, he demanded their loyalty to the company.

In 1838, Krupp patented rollers for the production of steel spoons and forks. In subsequent years, Alfred traveled all over Europe in search of clients. Although the company expanded, it was constantly under threat of bankruptcy. In Lower Austria, he, together with the banker and entrepreneur Alexander Scheler, founded the Berndorf Metal Products Factory, which first produced cutlery from silver and later from alpaca. But upon Krupp's return to Germany, he handed over the plant to his brother Hermann Krupp.

Weapons manufacturing was originally Krupp's hobby. After seven years of attempts, he hand-cast the first rifle barrel in 1843. Early attempts to sell steel firearms were unsuccessful, as the military trusted the time-tested bronze more. In their opinion, steel was too close to iron, which was brittle and therefore unsuitable for making weapons.

In 1847, the first steel Krupp cannon was cast and was provided to the Prussian War Ministry for review. However, it was immediately handed over to the arsenal and tested only two years later. Although the test result exceeded all expectations, the ministry saw no reason to order these guns.

Rise in production

The final breakthrough was made by Alfred Krupp thanks to his invention of the seamless wheel for trains in 1852-1853. For decades these wheels were a Krupp staple and most American railroads used Krupp wheels. Therefore, the logo of the Krupp company is not a cannon, but three wheels lying on top of each other. As a result of this first boom, in the 50s of the 19th century, the company already employed about a thousand workers.

In 1853, Alfred Krupp married Bertha Eichhof, who was twenty years his junior. They had a son, Friedrich, but the marriage was unhappy. Krupp was exclusively interested in his own enterprise, where he spent all his time. His wife was unable to live in Essen, which she disliked due to its industrial pollution. Therefore, Bertha lived with little Friedrich in Italy for most of the year.

In 1857 Alfred developed a new version of the breech-loading cannon. When he offered to buy it to the Prussian military in 1858, they did not agree, as they had fair doubts about the reliability of its bolts. However, Krupp did not give up on his goal of becoming an arms supplier, and in April 1860 he sold the first steel cannons: Prussia ordered 312 six-pounder muzzle-loading guns.

Arms sales volumes increased at a very rapid pace. Krupp supplied guns to all European countries except France. This led to further growth of the enterprise and the introduction of innovative technologies into production.

) - German industrialist and inventor; largest arms supplier of its era, giving it the nickname " cannon king».

Biography

Arms sales volumes increased at a very rapid pace. Krupp supplied guns to all European countries except France. This led to further growth of the enterprise and the introduction of innovative technologies into production.

Meanwhile, in Germany, Alfred Krupp fought against the Socialist Workers' Party. He was not so much afraid of becoming bankrupt after implementing socialist ideas, but rather viewed his workers as his property, to whom he wanted to instill the opinion he needed through orders and directives. So-called “black lists” of workers who took part in the demonstrations were introduced. Those on the list of workers were fired or not hired. Before each Reichstag election, workers were ordered not to vote for the Socialist Workers' Party.

In 1887, 75-year-old Alfred Krupp died of a heart attack. His son, Friedrich Alfred Krupp, inherited the company, which by that time had 20,000 workers.

Personality of Alfred Krupp

Alfred Krupp was an unusual man. On the one hand, he was a tireless worker who never rested on his laurels. On the other hand, he was a hypochondriac in the extreme, who suffered from depression and did not leave his bed for weeks and months at a time.

He imagined the employer as a patriarch, demanding from his employees not only respect, but also obedience and providing them with a secure existence for this. He had a high opinion of himself as an entrepreneur. In his villa Hugel he received the top officials of Europe. Kings and emperors came to visit him not for receptions, but as clients. Therefore, in 1865, he refused the title of nobility granted to him by the King of Prussia as “inconsistent with his wishes.” His name was Krupp, and that was enough.

Krupp's penchant for graphomania is known. He had a great need to speak out, and he wrote several thousand letters during his life - sometimes several letters a day to the same person. He issued a huge number of directives to his workers. In 1877, Krupp addressed the workers with a “word to the subordinates.” It said: “It is I who introduce inventions and create new industries, not the worker. He must be satisfied with his salary, and whether I make a profit or incur a loss is my own business...”

Krupp always admired England. Therefore, he called himself Alfred, and not his baptismal name Alfrid.

There is a historical anecdote that Krupp loved the smell of horse manure and therefore ordered his office to be built above the stables of Villa Hugel. His fear of fires is also known, because of which the entire interior of the villa was made of non-flammable materials.

The concern, which has existed for almost a century and a half, began with the production of seamless railway wheels (this was indicated by its emblem: three intertwined rings). Already in the First World War, Krupp’s position was simple: to earn as much as possible in the war, and the company directed all its potential to serve the needs of the army - guns, ammunition, new types of weapons. The concept of the concern did not change in any way with the Nazis coming to power, at that time peacefully producing agricultural equipment, but prudently having, since the First World War, a couple of artillery factories transported to Sweden, with a full staff of designers and other valuable personnel. Krupp became the main executor of military orders from Hitler's Germany, quickly producing tanks, self-propelled artillery, infantry trucks, and reconnaissance vehicles.

Although, according to the decision of the Yalta and Postdam Conference, the concern was subject to complete destruction, it, like a phoenix bird, was reborn again - already in 1951, Krupp was released and his entire fortune was returned to him. Alfried Krupp took over the leadership of the company and achieved the cancellation of the decree on the liquidation of the concern. Two decades later, the company’s staff reached 100 thousand employees!

In 1999, Krupp merged with the second German giant Thyssen AG and now their brainchild ThyssenKrupp AG is the leading steel manufacturer in the world.

Excerpt characterizing Krupp, Alfred

"Who are they? Why are they? What do they need? And when will all this end? thought Rostov, looking at the changing shadows in front of him. The pain in my arm became more and more excruciating. Sleep was falling irresistibly, red circles were jumping in my eyes, and the impression of these voices and these faces and the feeling of loneliness merged with a feeling of pain. It was they, these soldiers, wounded and unwounded, - it was they who pressed, and weighed down, and turned out the veins, and burned the meat in his broken arm and shoulder. To get rid of them, he closed his eyes.
He forgot himself for one minute, but in this short period of oblivion he saw countless objects in his dreams: he saw his mother and her big white hand, he saw Sonya’s thin shoulders, Natasha’s eyes and laughter, and Denisov with his voice and mustache, and Telyanin , and his whole story with Telyanin and Bogdanich. This whole story was one and the same thing: this soldier with a sharp voice, and this whole story and this soldier so painfully, relentlessly held, pressed and all pulled his hand in one direction. He tried to move away from them, but they did not let go of his shoulder, not even a hair, not even for a second. It wouldn’t hurt, it would be healthy if they didn’t pull on it; but it was impossible to get rid of them.
He opened his eyes and looked up. The black canopy of night hung an arshin above the light of the coals. In this light, particles of falling snow flew. Tushin did not return, the doctor did not come. He was alone, only some soldier was now sitting naked on the other side of the fire and warming his thin yellow body.
“Nobody needs me! - thought Rostov. - There is no one to help or feel sorry for. And I was once at home, strong, cheerful, loved.” “He sighed and involuntarily groaned with a sigh.
- Oh, what hurts? - asked the soldier, shaking his shirt over the fire, and, without waiting for an answer, he grunted and added: - You never know how many people have been spoiled in a day - passion!
Rostov did not listen to the soldier. He looked at the snowflakes fluttering over the fire and remembered the Russian winter with a warm, bright house, a fluffy fur coat, fast sleighs, a healthy body and with all the love and care of his family. “And why did I come here!” he thought.
The next day, the French did not resume the attack, and the rest of Bagration’s detachment joined Kutuzov’s army.

Prince Vasily did not think about his plans. He even less thought of doing evil to people in order to gain benefit. He was only a secular man who had succeeded in the world and made a habit out of this success. He constantly, depending on the circumstances, depending on his rapprochement with people, drew up various plans and considerations, of which he himself was not well aware, but which constituted the entire interest of his life. Not one or two such plans and considerations were in his mind, but dozens, of which some were just beginning to appear to him, others were achieved, and others were destroyed. He did not say to himself, for example: “This man is now in power, I must gain his trust and friendship and through him arrange for the issuance of a one-time allowance,” or he did not say to himself: “Pierre is rich, I must lure him to marry his daughter and borrow the 40 thousand I need”; but a man in strength met him, and at that very moment instinct told him that this man could be useful, and Prince Vasily became close to him and at the first opportunity, without preparation, by instinct, flattered, became familiar, talked about what what was needed.
Pierre was under his arm in Moscow, and Prince Vasily arranged for him to be appointed a chamber cadet, which was then equivalent to the rank of state councilor, and insisted that the young man go with him to St. Petersburg and stay in his house. As if absent-mindedly and at the same time with an undoubted confidence that this should be so, Prince Vasily did everything that was necessary in order to marry Pierre to his daughter. If Prince Vasily had thought about his plans ahead, he could not have had such naturalness in his manners and such simplicity and familiarity in his relations with all the people placed above and below himself. Something constantly attracted him to people stronger or richer than himself, and he was gifted with the rare art of catching exactly the moment when it was necessary and possible to take advantage of people.
Pierre, having unexpectedly become a rich man and Count Bezukhy, after recent loneliness and carelessness, felt so surrounded and busy that he could only be left alone with himself in bed. He had to sign papers, deal with government offices, the meaning of which he had no clear idea of, ask the chief manager about something, go to an estate near Moscow and receive many people who previously did not want to know about his existence, but now would offended and upset if he didn’t want to see them. All these various persons - businessmen, relatives, acquaintances - were all equally well disposed towards the young heir; all of them, obviously and undoubtedly, were convinced of the high merits of Pierre. He constantly heard the words: “With your extraordinary kindness,” or “with your wonderful heart,” or “you yourself are so pure, Count...” or “if only he were as smart as you,” etc., so he He sincerely began to believe in his extraordinary kindness and his extraordinary mind, especially since it always seemed to him, deep down in his soul, that he was really very kind and very smart. Even people who had previously been angry and obviously hostile became tender and loving towards him. Such an angry eldest of the princesses, with a long waist, with hair smoothed like a doll’s, came to Pierre’s room after the funeral. Lowering her eyes and constantly flushing, she told him that she was very sorry for the misunderstandings that had happened between them and that now she felt she had no right to ask for anything, except permission, after the blow that had befallen her, to stay for a few weeks in the house that she loved so much and where made so many sacrifices. She couldn't help but cry at these words. Touched that this statue-like princess could change so much, Pierre took her hand and asked for an apology, without knowing why. From that day on, the princess began to knit a striped scarf for Pierre and completely changed towards him.
– Do it for her, mon cher; “All the same, she suffered a lot from the dead man,” Prince Vasily told him, letting him sign some kind of paper in favor of the princess.
Prince Vasily decided that this bone, a bill of 30 thousand, had to be thrown to the poor princess so that it would not occur to her to talk about Prince Vasily’s participation in the mosaic portfolio business. Pierre signed the bill, and from then on the princess became even kinder. The younger sisters also became affectionate towards him, especially the youngest, pretty, with a mole, often embarrassed Pierre with her smiles and embarrassment at the sight of him.
It seemed so natural to Pierre that everyone loved him, it would seem so unnatural if someone did not love him, that he could not help but believe in the sincerity of the people around him. Moreover, he did not have time to ask himself about the sincerity or insincerity of these people. He constantly had no time, he constantly felt in a state of meek and cheerful intoxication. He felt like the center of some important general movement; felt that something was constantly expected of him; that if he didn’t do this, he would upset many and deprive them of what they expected, but if he did this and that, everything would be fine - and he did what was required of him, but something good remained ahead.
More than anyone else at this first time, Prince Vasily took possession of both Pierre’s affairs and himself. Since the death of Count Bezukhy, he has not let Pierre out of his hands. Prince Vasily had the appearance of a man weighed down by affairs, tired, exhausted, but out of compassion, unable to finally abandon this helpless young man, the son of his friend, to the mercy of fate and the swindlers, apres tout, [in the end,] and with such a huge fortune. In those few days that he stayed in Moscow after the death of Count Bezukhy, he called Pierre to himself or came to him himself and prescribed to him what needed to be done, in such a tone of fatigue and confidence, as if he was saying every time:
“Vous savez, que je suis accable d"affaires et que ce n"est que par pure charite, que je m"occupe de vous, et puis vous savez bien, que ce que je vous propose est la seule chose faisable." [ You know, I’m overwhelmed with business; but it would be merciless to leave you like this; of course, what I’m telling you is the only possible thing.]
“Well, my friend, tomorrow we’re going, finally,” he told him one day, closing his eyes, moving his fingers on his elbow and in such a tone, as if what he was saying had been decided a long time ago between them and could not be decided otherwise.
“We’re going tomorrow, I’ll give you a place in my stroller.” I am very happy. Everything important is over here. I should have needed it a long time ago. This is what I received from the chancellor. I asked him about you, and you were enlisted in the diplomatic corps and made a chamber cadet. Now the diplomatic path is open to you.
Despite all the strength of the tone of fatigue and the confidence with which these words were spoken, Pierre, who had been thinking about his career for so long, wanted to object. But Prince Vasily interrupted him in that cooing, bassy tone that excluded the possibility of interrupting his speech and which he used when extreme persuasion was necessary.
- Mais, mon cher, [But, my dear,] I did it for myself, for my conscience, and there is nothing to thank me for. No one ever complained that he was too loved; and then, you are free, even if you quit tomorrow. You will see everything for yourself in St. Petersburg. And it’s high time for you to move away from these terrible memories. – Prince Vasily sighed. - Yes, yes, my soul. And let my valet ride in your carriage. Oh yes, I forgot,” Prince Vasily added, “you know, mon cher, that we had scores with the deceased, so I received it from Ryazan and will leave it: you don’t need it.” You and I will settle down.
What Prince Vasily called from “Ryazan” were several thousand quitrents, which Prince Vasily kept for himself.
In St. Petersburg, as in Moscow, an atmosphere of gentle, loving people surrounded Pierre. He could not refuse the place or, rather, the title (because he did nothing) that Prince Vasily brought him, and there were so many acquaintances, calls and social activities that Pierre, even more than in Moscow, experienced a feeling of fog and haste and everything coming, but some good not happening.
Many of his former bachelor society were not in St. Petersburg. The guard went on a campaign. Dolokhov was demoted, Anatole was in the army, in the provinces, Prince Andrei was abroad, and therefore Pierre was not able to spend his nights as he had previously liked to spend them, or to occasionally unwind in a friendly conversation with an older, respected friend. All his time was spent at dinners, balls and mainly with Prince Vasily - in the company of the fat princess, his wife, and the beautiful Helen.
Anna Pavlovna Scherer, like others, showed Pierre the change that had occurred in the public view of him.
Previously, Pierre, in the presence of Anna Pavlovna, constantly felt that what he was saying was indecent, tactless, and not what was needed; that his speeches, which seem smart to him while he prepares them in his imagination, become stupid as soon as he speaks loudly, and that, on the contrary, the stupidest speeches of Hippolytus come out smart and sweet. Now everything he said came out charmant. If even Anna Pavlovna did not say this, then he saw that she wanted to say it, and she only, in respect of his modesty, refrained from doing so.
At the beginning of the winter from 1805 to 1806, Pierre received from Anna Pavlovna the usual pink note with an invitation, which added: “Vous trouverez chez moi la belle Helene, qu"on ne se lasse jamais de voir.” [I will have a beautiful Helene , which you will never get tired of admiring.]
Reading this passage, Pierre felt for the first time that some kind of connection had formed between him and Helene, recognized by other people, and this thought at the same time frightened him, as if an obligation was being imposed on him that he could not keep. and together he liked it as a funny guess.