‘Revealing the Exquisite Corpse’
List of organisations and individuals who actively resisted fascism.
Jan Zwartendijk
In 1939 Jan Zwartendijk was appointed director of the Lithuanian branch of Philips, based in Kaunas.
In 1940 following the Nazi occupation of Poland and the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, in extension of his respected position at Philips he was further appointed as honorary dutch consul in the city.
From here he carried out a plan to help Jews escape from the country by issuing them with visas to the dutch colony of Curaçao.
This was done by agreeing to write in their passports that no travel document was necessary to travel to the Island, whilst withholding the detail that permission from the island’s governor was required.
Zwartendijk would have been in mortal danger had his actions been discovered, however, working alongside Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara, who provided transit visas through Japan, it’s believed that he assisted many thousands of Jews to escape, possibly up to around 10,000 in total, of whom 95%, according to research assessment, went on to survive the war.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/26/unsung-hero-how-mr-radio-philips-helped-thousands-flee-the-nazis
The Bosch-Kreis
Whilst the Bosch company did accept armament contracts during the Second World War, The Bosch-Kreis or Bosch-Circle was an informal group of German industrialists, intellectuals, and anti-Nazi activists centered around Robert Bosch, the founder of the Bosch company.
During the Nazi regime, the Bosch-Kreis actively opposed Hitler's policies and provided support to the resistance. The group engaged in clandestine activities, including funding and sheltering political dissidents, Jews, and other persecuted individuals. They also facilitated communication between the German resistance and Allied forces and supported an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler in 1944.
Bosch himself used his company’s resources to covertly aid resistance efforts, employing and protecting anti-Nazi workers. The Bosch-Kreis played a significant role in the broader German resistance movement, contributing to efforts to undermine the Nazi regime from within.
https://www.bosch.com/stories/resistance-to-hitler-bosch-circle/
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)
The International Transport Workers' Federation has a long history of resisting fascism through coordinated global efforts among transport workers. Having previously organised and supported resistance to the regime of general Franco in Spain. During World War II, the ITF played a crucial role by disrupting Axis supply lines, supporting resistance movements, and aiding the safe passage of refugees.
Post-war, the ITF continued its anti-fascist stance by supporting democratic movements and opposing authoritarian regimes by organizing strikes and boycotts to hinder the transportation capabilities of fascist regimes. Throughout the Cold War and into the present day, the ITF has remained committed to combating fascism and defending workers' rights through promoting solidarity among transport workers worldwide in resisting oppression and authoritarianism.
https://www.itfglobal.org/sites/default/files/resources-files/no_pasaran_en.pdf
Bang & Olufsen
During World War II, Bang & Olufsen played a significant role in resisting the Nazi occupation of Denmark. The company produced clandestine radios essential for the Danish resistance's communication with Allied forces and within their network.
Employees also engaged in sabotage to prevent their products from benefiting the Nazis. Despite the risks, Bang & Olufsen's operations continued to support the resistance movement.
As a consequence of this defiance, Danish saboteurs, with help from German occupying forces, bombed their Struer factory in retaliation for the company's refusal to work with the Germans and their role in the Danish resistance, demonstrating the significant threat the company posed to Nazi efforts.
FIAT workers strike of 1943
Beginning at 10 am on March 5, 1943, The FIAT workers strike marked a significant turning point in Italian resistance against fascism.
Workers at FIAT’s Mirafiori plant initiated the strike, which quickly spread to Milan and other industrial centers, challenging the twenty-year dominance of Mussolini’s regime. The strike was not merely about labor conditions but symbolized a broader revolt against fascism, paving the way for armed resistance six months later.
Despite violent responses from the authorities, the strike saw a massive participation of around 100,000 workers within a week. The inability of the Italian fascist government to quash the strike revealed the regime's weakening grip on power, exacerbated by military defeats and worsening living conditions.
The strike demonstrated the collective power of workers, previously subdued by fascism, and set a precedent for future resistance. With this action FIAT’s Mirafiori plant, originally a symbol of fascist industrial ambitions, became the epi-center of this defiance. The event marked the beginning of a series of general strikes and the armed resistance that ultimately contributed to the downfall of Mussolini’s rule.The legacy of the strike emphasized the centrality of labour and industrial organisation in anti-fascist efforts and laid the foundation for post-war Italy’s democratic and labor movements.
https://jacobin.com/2018/03/italy-fascism-fiat-strike-pci