INTRODUCTION

The establishment of IG Farbenindustrie AG in late 1925 by BASF and other major German chemical companies set the stage for one of the most tumultuous eras in German industrial history. Buffeted throughout its existence by severe economic and political upheaval, IG Farben was nonetheless large and powerful enough to determine its own fate and to help shape that of its country. For that reason alone, it must be held partly responsible for the fact that what began in 1925 with great promise ended ultimately in disaster. Critical examination of this co-responsibility will therefore be one of the main areas of focus in this section of the history of the firm.

But it is nevertheless important to make one point clear at the outset: Except in a fairly narrow technical sense (which will be explored further in the next section), during the period from 1925 through 1945, BASF was not IG Farben. Rather, it was simply one of the concern's major works groups (Betriebsgemeinschaften). This might seem to be stating the obvious, but it is nonetheless worth highlighting because of some of its implications. After all, most of the extensive scholarly and popular literature on the German chemical industry during this period – and virtually all of it that focuses on the Nazi years – deals almost exclusively with IG Farben.