Sidney Pollard (1925–1998)

Sidney Pollard was born Siegfried Pollak to a prosperous Jewish family in Vienna, Austria. His parents were Leontine and Moses Pollak, a teacher and a traveling salesman. Following Nazi Germany's Anschluss (annexation) of Austria in 1938, the family lost their home and Moses Pollak was dismissed from his job. His parents sent their 12-year-old son on a Kindertransport to the UK, but had to stay behind. He never saw them again, and their fate remained unknown. In England, he took correspondence courses and was admitted to the London School of Economics (LSE). During World War II, he volunteered for the British Army and adopted the name Sidney Pollard. He stayed in the army until 1947 as an interpreter in post-war Germany. After his return, he returned to the study of economics and graduated from the LSE after two years, then obtained his doctorate in 1950. He was recognized as a pioneer in the field of economic history and influenced many colleagues and successors. In 1952, he began his academic career at the University of Sheffield as assistant lecturer and rose to full professor of economic history. He was a visiting professor at universities in Israel, the USA, West and East Germany, and Australia. In 1980, he moved to Bielefeld University in West Germany, to head its new Department of Economic History. After his retirement from Bielefeld in 1990, he returned to Sheffield. Prof. Pollard was the author of numerous scholarly articles and books, including The Development of the British economy 1914-1950 (1962 and 4th ed. 1992); The Genesis of Modern Management: A Study of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain (1965); Peaceful Conquest: The Industrialization of Europe, 1760-1970 (1981); Britain's Prime and Britain's Decline (1989); and Wealth and Poverty: An Economic history of the 20th Century (1990).