The corporate history of BASF offers a glimpse into the functioning of an industrial organization that has held its own on the market since 1865. Moreover, it reveals a good deal about the reasons for the extraordinary economic dynamics of the German empire and the enormous expansion of the world economy before World War I. It permits one to probe the origins and spread of the knowledge society, in which science and research-based innovation have become the key determinants of economic...
More DescriptionThe corporate history of BASF offers a glimpse into the functioning of an industrial organization that has held its own on the market since 1865. Moreover, it reveals a good deal about the reasons for the extraordinary economic dynamics of the German empire and the enormous expansion of the world economy before World War I. It permits one to probe the origins and spread of the knowledge society, in which science and research-based innovation have become the key determinants of economic growth and social development. By the same token, BASF's history stands at the center of Germany's wartime economy during both world wars and highlights both its strengths and its weaknesses.