Overview
The Institute for Social Research opened a new home for Marxist research in Frankfurt, Germany. It was founded in 1923. Its first building opened on June 22, 1924. Felix Weil helped fund it with wealth from his family. His father, Hermann, had made his fortune in the grain trade. Historian Rolf Wiggershaus describes the funding and the Institute's ties to Frankfurt University. [1], pp. 12–19, 24–26
Its first director, Carl Grünberg, studied socialism, economic history and the labor movement. Max Horkheimer became director in 1930 and gave his opening address in January 1931. He broadened the work to include psychology and culture. The central question was why people accepted a society marked by inequality. This approach became known as Frankfurt School critical theory. [1], pp. 25–26, 36–39
The researchers brought different skills. Friedrich Pollock studied economics and helped run the Institute. Erich Fromm studied how social life shaped people's thoughts and feelings. Leo Löwenthal studied literature and edited the journal. Herbert Marcuse worked on philosophy. Theodor W. Adorno studied music, culture and society. Henryk Grossmann focused on economics. Franz Neumann and Otto Kirchheimer studied law and politics. They did not all share the same views. [1], pp. 51–54, 116–117, 147, 223–224, 283–288
Nazi repression forced the Institute out of Germany in 1933. It first set up a base in Geneva, then moved to New York in 1934. Columbia University gave it space, including a house at 429 West 117th Street. The Institute kept control of its own work. [1], pp. 127–132, 143–148
The Institute returned to Frankfurt after the war. Its own history dates the return to 1949, its formal re-establishment to 1950, and its new building to 1951. Its American story continued through research partnerships, books and teaching. [2], “Reopening”; [3], pp. xi–xiv