The Frankfurt School, originating from the Institute for Social Research in 1923, is a school of thought focused on critical theory. Composed of intellectuals disillusioned with prevailing socio-economic systems like capitalism, fascism, and communism during the interwar period, the school critically analyzed society and culture. Key figures include Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Wilhelm Reich, Herbert Marcuse and Jürgen Habermas. The School's work encompasses philosophy, social theory, and critique of culture and ideology. The Frankfurt School's theoretical approach is regarded as an attempt to synthesize Marxist analysis with Freudian psychoanalysis and sociological methods.
From 1918, the political turmoil of the Weimar Republic began to affect the development of the Frankfurt School's critical theory.
In 1922, Felix Weil organized the First Marxist Workweek to synthesize different trends of Marxism. György Lukács, Karl Korsch, Karl August Wittfogel, and Friedrich Pollock attended.
Following the success of the First Marxist Workweek, a permanent institute for social research was formally established in 1923. Weil negotiated with the Ministry of Education to ensure the Frankfurt School would be a university institution.
In 1923, the Institute for Social Research was founded at Goethe University Frankfurt by Carl Grünberg. It was the first Marxist research center at a German university and was funded by Felix Weil.
In 1923, the Institute for Social Research, which is associated with the Frankfurt School, was founded at Goethe University Frankfurt. This occurred during the Weimar Republic, amidst the European interwar period.
In 1930, Max Horkheimer became the director of the Institute for Social Research. He recruited intellectuals such as Theodor W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, and Herbert Marcuse.
In 1932, the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 and The German Ideology were published, which showed a continuity between Hegelianism and Marxist philosophy.
From 1933 to 1945, the rise of Nazism, a German form of fascism, influenced the Frankfurt School scholars.
In 1933, soon after Adolf Hitler's rise to power, the Institute for Social Research decided to move out of Nazi Germany and relocated to Geneva.
In 1935, the Institute for Social Research moved from Geneva to New York City, where it joined Columbia University.
In 1937, Horkheimer contrasted critical theory with traditional theory, emphasizing the difference in observational modes and the impact of researcher bias in social sciences in "Traditional and Critical Theory".
In 1937, Max Horkheimer defined critical theory as social critique meant to effect sociologic change and realize intellectual emancipation in "Traditional and Critical Theory".
In 1944, Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment, written during the Institute's exile in America, was published. It shifted emphasis to a critique of the social and ideological forces brought about by early capitalism.
In 1950, The Authoritarian Personality had a tremendous influence because it showed how to conduct political criticism in psychiatric categories.
In 1953, the Institute for Social Research (Frankfurt School) was formally re-established in Frankfurt, West Germany.
In 1964, Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man described the containment of the working class. Soon after the civil rights movement intensified and opposition to the Vietnam war began.
In January 1969, Adorno called the police to remove students led by Hans-Jürgen Krahl who occupied a room, leading to criticism from Marcuse.
In 1971, György Lukács criticized the "leading German intelligentsia", including some members of the Frankfurt School (Adorno is named explicitly), as inhabiting the Grand Hotel Abyss in The Theory of the Novel.
In 1975, Felix Weil, who provided funds for the Institute for Social Research, passed away.