Editing Walther Rathenau (section)

=== Education and business experience ===
Rathenau studied physics, chemistry and philosophy in Berlin and [[Strasbourg]], and received a doctorate in physics in 1889 after studying under [[August Kundt]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mendelsohn |first1=Ezra |url={{Google books|teYiAQAAQBAJ|page=106|plainurl=yes}} |title=Against the Grain: Jewish Intellectuals in Hard Times |last2=Cohen |first2=Richard I. |last3=Hoffman |first3=Stefani |publisher=Berghahn Books |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-782-38003-0 |location=Oxford; New York |page=106}}</ref> 

Rathenau worked as a technical engineer in a Swiss aluminium factory and then as a manager in a small electro-chemical firm in [[Bitterfeld]], where he conducted experiments in electrolysis. He returned to Berlin and joined the AEG board in 1899,<ref name=":0" /> becoming a leading industrialist in the late [[German Empire]] and early [[Weimar Republic]]. He set up power stations in [[Manchester]], [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Baku]]. AEG acquired ownership of a streetcar company in Madrid, and in East Africa he purchased a British firm. In total he was involved with 84 companies worldwide.{{sfn|Dallas|2000|p=303}} AEG was particularly praised for vertical integration methods and a strong emphasis on supply chain management. Rathenau developed an expertise in business restructuring and turning companies around. His strong organizational abilities made his company very successful. He made substantial profits from commercial lending on a wide industrial scale, which he then reinvested in capital and assets.