Bosch is a company with a rich history. It stands for important trends of the modernworld, such as the motorization of transport or the electrification of the household,and was one of the pioneers of globalization. Its founder Robert Bosch was as wellknown for his liberal views as he was for the social principles he applied to companymanagement.With this book, Johannes Bähr and Paul Erker present the first comprehensive historyof Bosch to be written by independent historians. In undertaking their research,the authors had unrestricted access to the company archives. Starting from the figureof the company founder, his business principles, and the early days of his companyas a modest, courtyard-entrance workshop in the west end of Stuttgart, they go onto describe the companys rise to become the worlds leading automotive supplier, aswell as the emergence of a distinctive corporate culture oriented to social concerns.The authors also profile the companys most important subsidiaries, charting thedevelopment of the diverse business activities that characterize todays supplier oftechnology and services. The works focal points include the companys conductduring the Third Reich as well as the later evolution of its corporate constitution.Spanning a period of more than 100 years, the authors recount the history of oneof the worlds first global enterprises, a history of outstanding innovations and triumphs,but also of crises that time and again put the company founders principlesto the test.

Johannes Bähr is adjunct professor at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, and the author of a number of historical studies of major German companies. Paul Erker is adjunct professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the author of a number of studies in business history.