Friedrich Pollock

Friedrich Pollock was a German social scientist and philosopher, born on May 22, 1894. He was a co-founder of the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main and a prominent member of the Frankfurt School. Pollock's early education was in finance, during which time he met Max Horkheimer, who became a lifelong friend. He later studied economics, sociology, and philosophy, earning his doctorate in economics from the University of Frankfurt in 1923. That same year, he co-founded the Institute for Social Research with notable figures like Leo Löwenthal, Walter Benjamin, Theodor W. Adorno, and Max Horkheimer. Pollock's career included travels to the Soviet Union, where he researched planned economies, leading to his treatise 'Attempts at Planned Economy in the Soviet Union 1917–1927'. He also served as director of the Institute for Social Research and held a lectureship at the University of Frankfurt. Fleeing the Nazi regime, Pollock went into exile in Geneva, London, Paris, and New York City, before returning to Frankfurt in 1950 to re-establish the Institute for Social Research. He became a professor of economics and sociology at the University of Frankfurt and published significant works such as 'Automation: Materials for the Evaluation of the Economic and Social Consequences'. He retired to Switzerland, where he died on December 16, 1970.