The remarkable rise and shameful fall of one of the twentieth century's greatest conglomerates. At its peak in the 1930s, the German chemical manufacturer IG Farben was one of the most powerful corporations in the world. To this day, companies formerly part of the Farben cartel--aspirin-maker Bayer, graphics supplier Agfa, plastics giant BASF--continue to play key roles in the global market. IG Farben itself, however, is remembered mostly for its connections to the Nazi Party and its complicity in the Holocaust. After the war, Farben's leaders were tried for crimes including mass murder and slave labor. Journalist Jeffreys presents the first comprehensive account of IG Farben's rise and fall, tracing the enterprise from its nineteenth-century origins, when the discovery of synthetic dyes gave rise to a vibrant new industry, through the upheavals of the Great War era, and on to the company's fateful role in World War II.--From publisher description.