Private Money and the Primacy of War. Endowments and Military Research at the University of Frankfurt 1933–1945

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a new relationship emerged between science, industry, and politics. Industry provided private funds for scientific institutions. In Frankfurt, the first privately endowed university in Germany was founded. It had a progressive scientific profile and the characteristics of a private institution – with autonomous and rapid decision-making. According to the literature, these characteristics were lost after 1933. In this article, I will argue that these statements must be differentiated and that the structure of the endowment university also functioned under conditions of dictatorship. I will show that Nazi officials got hold of funds and that they used them to provide buildings and equipment for such institutes, which were engaged in military research. In one case, I will show that a chemical warfare researcher was paid with “Aryanized” endowment money.