Universalitätsansprüche – Verbandsvertreter in der deutsch-französischen Wirtschaftsdiplomatie der 20er und frühen 30er Jahre

Abstract In the 20s and 30s German and French representatives of entrepreneurial interests often changed from the civil service to the management of business associations. In their new function, they were responsible for bringing their members’ interests to a common ground. In this context, they claimed to speak on behalf of the overall national economic cause. This strategy was due to the attempt to legitimize their coordination efforts through symbolic capital that lent itself to the justification of state officials. However, their proposals often met with resistance by members. In practice, their claim to represent the overall national economic interest only became effective as soon as their role was legitimized by the state. Such a situation emerged during the Great Depression when Franco-German economic relations were being renegotiated. Ironically, the actions of former state officials in the service of the private sector thus gained power precisely when the delegation of economic diplomatic tasks to business representatives tended to erase the boundary between state and economy.