The Early History of the Synthetic Dye Industry *

The various reasons that have been put forward for the failure of the industry to establish itself successfully in Britain by 1914 are discussed. Of these reasons, the absence of an all‐German Patent Law in the early years and the premature retirement of several of the first British manufacturers are considered the most important. The latter event is contrasted with the situation in Germany, where the pioneers stayed in the industry, help and advice were given by Universities, and ambitious research programmes were carried out. The failure of the British educational system is shown not so much in any lack of research chemists, but in the lack of understanding, by managers, of the problems and potential of the industry—an understanding which the social and educational system of Germany made much more widespread in that country.