He then studied economy, sociology and philosophy in Frankfurt am Main, where he wrote his thesis on Marx's labor theory of value and received his doctorate in 1923.
The Institute for Social Research was founded in 1923 by Pollock and fellow Marxist Felix Weil, who funded the group.
Weil was inspired to found the institute after the success of his week-long conference, the Erste Marxistische Arbeitswoche (First Marxist Workweek), in 1923.
Prior to the Nazi seizure of power, Pollock had used his contacts in the International Labour Organization to establish a Geneva branch of the Institute.
[3] In 1933, Pollock and Horkheimer moved into exile, first in Geneva, then to London, Paris, and finally New York City.