STINNES, HUGO

(1870), Ger. in- ‘ dustrial magnate, and moving power in People’s Party; inherited immense fortune from his father, 1889; controls a network of enterprises, including mines, steamships, and newspapers; appointed member of Armistice committee, 1918, but was removed by Erzberger because he was mainly responsible for the robbery of Belgium and the deportation of her workers. Stinnes in the period following the World War became the greatest financial and industrial figure of Germany. He was generally conceded to be the power behind the government. He bitterly opposed the French occupation of the Ruhr, and removed his offices and closed all operations on the arrival of the French troops in February, 1923.