Hugo Stinnes

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Hugo Stinnes.

George Grantham Bain Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital File Number: LC-DIG-ggbain-31075)

Hugo Stinneswas a German industrialist who emerged after World War I as Germany’s “business kaiser,” controlling coal mines, steel mills, hotels, electrical factories, newspapers, shipping lines, and banks.

At age 20 Stinnes inherited his father’s interest in the family business. Since 1808 the Stinnes family had been operating coal mines, a shipping line to carry the coal up the Rhine River, and a trading house to sell the goods that were carried back. In 1893 Stinnes founded Hugo Stinnes GmbH, which was to become the centre of operations for the Stinnes Konzern (trust) established by his grandfather, Mathias Stinnes. Hugo established the company to consolidate his interests in shipping and mining.

With the profits from distributing coal, he began to acquire interests in the steel industry and in the Ruhr’s power, gas, and water utilities. By a process of acquiring and consolidating industries, he was able to control the complete industrial cycle, from raw materials to distribution. From cutting lumber to publishing newspapers, from mining coal and iron ore to shipping automobiles, tools, and machinery all over the world, Stinnes companies handled every phase.

During World War I, Stinnes was a leading supplier of Germany’s war materials. After the war, he began acquiring newspapers. By 1922 he owned more than 60 papers and had interests in many more. He was a member of the economic council and used the newspapers to combat the policies of the Weimar coalition and promote his own political ideas. He was a member of the Reichstag (parliament) for the German People’s Party (Deutschenationale Volkspartei) from 1920 to 1924.

Influential in starting Germany’s industrial recovery after the war, Stinnes pushed to abolish the eight-hour workday in order to increase productivity and resisted the socialization of industry. He eventually operated industries in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Balkans, Russia, and Argentina.