1873-1951. German industrialist who based his
business on the Ruhr iron and steel industry.
Fearful of the communist threat, Thyssen
became an early supporter of Hitler and
contributed large amounts of money to his
early political campaigns. By 1939 he had
broken with the Nazis and fled first to
Switzerland and later to Italy, where in 1941
he was sent to a concentration camp. Released
in 1945, he was ordered to surrender 15% of
his property.