Behind the Bastards

Part Two: That Time Volkswagen Operated a Slave Plantation in Brazil

October 16, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Volkswagen executives actively supported the Brazilian military dictatorship, viewing the overthrow of the left-leaning president as the 'restoration of a rational political order' beneficial to corporate profit. 
  • The investigation into Volkswagen's slave plantation was primarily driven by Father Ricardo Resende, a Catholic priest following liberation theology, who acted as one of the only checks against the dictatorship's repression of labor rights. 
  • Despite overwhelming evidence gathered over decades, including eyewitness testimony and official reports, Volkswagen and its former manager Friedrich Bruger have consistently denied direct responsibility for the enslavement and abuse of laborers on the Brazilian ranch. 

Segments

Introduction and Diddy Sentencing
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(00:00:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode is Part Two of the series on Volkswagen’s slave plantation in Brazil, briefly interrupted by a discussion of Diddy’s recent sentencing.
  • Summary: The episode immediately identifies itself as the second part of the series concerning Volkswagen’s slave plantation in Brazil. The hosts briefly digress to discuss the recent sentencing of Diddy, noting the court art and the length of the sentence. They quickly pivot back to the main, depressing topic of the episode.
VW’s Support for Dictatorship
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(00:06:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Volkswagen executives were eager supporters of the Brazilian military dictatorship, viewing the removal of the left-leaning president as a ‘restoration of a rational political order.’
  • Summary: VW executives welcomed the military junta, believing it restored order favorable to multinational corporations maximizing profit extraction. Board member Friedrich Wilhelm Schulzwenk explicitly rejoiced when union leaders were arrested, endorsing a regime known for torture and environmental destruction. The hosts note the irony of German executives feeling safe under a regime that mirrored authoritarianism.
Scale of Enslavement and Brutality
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(00:09:32)
  • Key Takeaway: From 1974 to 1986, Volkswagen’s Para State farm utilized at least 300 workers under irregular contracts, with some sources suggesting up to a thousand, subjected to horrific conditions including being tied up and beaten.
  • Summary: The farm operated from 1974 to 1986, focusing on ranching and logging, with workers lacking basic medical care. Evidence suggests workers were sometimes strung up and beaten to death as punishment for resistance or attempted escape. One source described finding bones full of strings, indicating victims were tied up before death.
Father Resende’s Investigation Begins
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(00:12:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Catholic priest Father Ricardo Resende, working with the Bishops’ Conference Land Pastoral Commission (CPT), became the first outside entity to investigate the plantation due to the Church’s relative immunity from the junta.
  • Summary: Resende, a follower of liberation theology, considered fighting forced labor a sacred calling and began investigating allegations in 1977 after hearing from a former union organizer. He cautiously gathered evidence, knowing that premature action could lead to the death of witnesses. The CPT served as the only oversight mechanism for rural workers after unionizing was crushed.
Luring Young Workers with Soccer
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(00:22:47)
  • Key Takeaway: In 1983, the case gained critical momentum when five young men, including three 17-year-olds, escaped after being lured to the farm with promises of high pay and the chance to play soccer.
  • Summary: These young escapees were sold to a contractor named Chico, where they endured forced labor, malnutrition, and witnessed extreme violence, including a man being burned alive in a forest clearing. They only managed to secure release by falsely claiming they had been conscripted by the military. Their detailed accounts provided Resende with the unimpeachable case he needed.
Delegation Stumbles Upon Proof
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(00:28:18)
  • Key Takeaway: During a Volkswagen-organized fact-finding mission intended to show the ranch’s good conditions, state lawmaker Expedito Batista insisted on taking an unapproved road and witnessed a contractor forcibly hauling a bound worker.
  • Summary: Batista, invited because he was a former VW employee, inadvertently discovered proof of forced labor, which immediately undermined VW’s narrative. The delegation subsequently encountered the contractor Abelau, who defended using ’energy’ to control workers and bragged about the low escape rate. This incident forced the state police to open an investigation, concluding that the Gatos treated workers like slaves.
VW Closes Ranch, Sells Laborers
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(00:40:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Volkswagen closed the non-profitable ranch in 1986, but the enslaved workforce was then sold off by the contractors (Gatos) in a chattel slavery moment, sometimes splitting up families.
  • Summary: Even after VW cut bait, the laborers remained property of the contractors who sought to maximize profit by auctioning them. One survivor, Raul, was separated from his brothers, one of whom became non-verbal due to trauma. The ranch’s closure did not equate to freedom for the enslaved workers.
Recent Legal Accountability Efforts
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(00:44:37)
  • Key Takeaway: A state prosecutor reopened the federal investigation in 2019, leading to a 2022 trial where survivors testified, resulting in a court ruling against Volkswagen for collective moral damages, which the company is appealing.
  • Summary: Father Resende spent years documenting cases, and the 2019 reopening allowed survivors to testify years later, though many had died. Volkswagen admitted to supporting the regime’s persecution of labor organizers but refused to admit guilt regarding the plantation slavery. The court ordered VW to pay 165 million BRL in damages, but the company continues to deny wrongdoing.