Allied occupation bans on political activity let former Nazis keep economic power.

Evidence

Page 384 the military government often took the easiest way out in an effort to stabilize the situation: they left organizations that were still working untouched, and let civil servants who were efficient workers remain at their posts. Where personnel changes did take place, well-known National Socialists were often only replaced by less well-known ones or by fellow travellers. `For example, the ones we had at the top of the list of “economic war criminals” were soon back in the decisive, responsible positions in the German economy,’ Marcuse recalled, looking back on his period with the Office of Strategic Services. 4 The ban on political activity had disastrous effects. The anti-fascist committees which had been formed in many cities during the Allied invasion were crippled by growing limitations on the scope of their activities. The conditions for continued Nazi and conservative influence on non-political areas, above all on the economy and on a great part of the administration, were therefore automatically favourable. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 408

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to earlier claims in this chapter about institutionalized denazification rewarding Nazi sympathizers and punishing resisters; this is the mechanism that produced that outcome.
• SEED: Angle: ‘How to Lose a Denazification’ — why banning anti-fascist committees guaranteed that the untouchable administration, not the resisters, would write the postwar order.