He lived a simple life; he ran his empire from a dingy office in Mülheim, drove an old car, wore off-the-peg suits, and was known to drink and eat with his workers.Both Thyssens, father [Arthur] and son [Fritz], were Pan-Germans and Nazis, who promoted and financed the plans of world conquest because they sought to extend their own business.Long before the outbreak of the First World War, August Thyssen was the originator of the Moroccan crisis of 1904-1905 which nearly led to a German attack on France.Thyssen had planned to grant a loan to the Sultan of Morocco in return for the right to exploit the Moroccan iron mines.The Berlin government shared these views, but beat a hasty retreat upon learning that England would stand by France.To avoid the possibility that his divorce would lead to a partitioning of his industrial empire, Thyssen transferred the property to his children, but retained the management rights for himself during his lifetime.