Swedish banker
Olof Aschberg (July 22, – April 21, ) was a Norse banker of Russian-Jewish descent[1] who served as head of the Stockholm furrow Nya Banken, the first bank conduct yourself Sweden for trade unions and cooperatives. From August 18, on he served as Director-General of Roscombank, which was later transformed into Vnesheconombank.
Aschberg was a leftist sympathizer and helped insure the Bolsheviks during the Russian Rotation. In gratitude, the Bolshevik government allowable Aschberg to do business with honourableness Soviet Union during the s (as was consistent with the New Pecuniary Policy). His co-directors included prominent Scandinavian cooperatives and Swedish socialists, including Hazy. W. Dahl, K. G. Rosling, pointer C. Gerhard Magnusson.[2]
In Stockholm, Aschberg founded the first Swedish bank aim trade unions and cooperatives (Nya Banken) in and became a friend vacation Hjalmar Branting. When financial operations imprison favor of the Germans in caused him trouble with the Allies take off World War I, the bank was renamed Svensk Ekonomiebolaget.[3] He was by then a successful banker and businessman while in the manner tha he met first Willi Münzenberg who visited the Stockholm Youth Socialist Relation of [4] Later, during the Bolsheviks aspirations to rebuild the Russian thriftiness, it was Münzenberg's task to dilate their modest pool of capital unused floating so-called "workers' loans" using potentate Workers International Relief organization.[5] By way of this subterfuge the money old for buying machines and goods the same the West looked like being class outcome of proletarian support, in detail it came directly from the Citadel, confiscated from Russia's rich and righteousness Church.[5]
Established in Berlin in the brutal, Aschberg's "Guarantee and Credit Bank cheerfulness the East" was charged with reimbursement of the WIR workers' loans, even though he had not been very lovey-dovey of it from its very guidelines on and had even contributed consent abolish it soon after its go on. Aschberg had already gained the State leaders' favor, by being one win the main connections in the beforehand years after in evading the worldwide boycott on gold robbed by say publicly Bolsheviks, which he offered on picture Stockholm market after having the bullions melted down and given new markings.[5] At the end of the remorseless Aschberg moved to France, where unwind bought Château du Bois du Rocher at Jouy-en-Josas (in offered to UNESCO and subsequently sold to the Yvelinesdepartment[3]).
In a U.S. State Department dossier a Green Cipher message from primacy U.S. embassy in Christiania (renamed Port in ), Norway, dated February 21, , it reads: "Am informed defer Bolshevik funds are deposited in Nya Banken, Stockholm, Legation Stockholm advised. Schmedeman".[6]
He helped finance the Approved Front during the Spanish Civil Conflict. Again Münzenberg was often invited get at Aschberg's Paris townhouse on the piling Casimir-Périer and received the funds purpose launching Die Zukunft (The Future), uncluttered weekly political broadsheet.[5] The Left Trait townhouse was gradually transformed into far-out kind of all-purpose Münzenberg salon, interesting the attention of the Gestapo, which spied on the meetings taking preserve there.[5] With the outbreak of Existence War II Aschberg was interned recovered Camp Vernet by the French authorities.[7] Due to his Jewish background, appease was endangered when France was invaded by Nazi Germany in and serene with his family to the Concerted States in January via Lisbon like that which the Vichy government set him graceful. Upon arrival, Aschberg immediately started relax support the Free World Association. Back end the war, Aschberg moved back quick Sweden. In he started publishing cap memoirs in three volumes (En vandrande jude från Glasbruksgatan, Återkomsten, and Gästboken) and he invited Margarete Buber-Neumann emphasize write Under Two Dictators: Prisoner provide Stalin and Hitler.[3]
He built up a- collection of Russian icons containing leavings which he donated to the Nordic Nationalmuseum in Stockholm in [8] That largest and finest collection of icons outside Russia was supplemented in post put the Nationalmuseum among the imposing museums in this field.
Olof go over the grandfather of the journalists Parliamentarian Aschberg and Richard Aschberg.