Johannes Methöfer

Johannes Methöfer , real name: Johannes Cornelis Hendrik Philippus Methöfer (born August 17, 1863 in Gendt ; † October 24, 1933 in Blaricum ), was a Dutch editor, author, propagandist and anarchist . Methöfer is said to be one of the first anarchists in the Netherlands .

Life

After Johannes Methöfer had attended the “lagere school” ( elementary school ) in his place of birth , he became a professional military man at the age of 15. At the age of 17 he had to go to prison for an unknown "dramatic event" ( een dramatic gebeurtenis ). During this time, raised in a strictly religious family, he lost his faith and came under the influence of the social and cultural critic Multatuli (1820–1887). In 1885 he participated in the "jongeren afdeling" ( youth organization of the party ) of the Sociaal Democratische Bond (Social Democratic Union, SDB), of which van Bartholomeus van Ommeren and Hendrik Ebo Kaspers were also members. Methöfer was also active in the Nederlandsche Bond voor Algemeen Kies- en Stemrecht (Dutch Federation for universal suffrage). The anarchist B. van Ommeren was the federal secretary. In August 1887 he worked for the Coöperatieve Broodbakkerij (bread baker's cooperative ) De Volharding in The Hague. This cooperative was founded to provide bread to the workers who were living in poverty at the time . At the Coöperatieve Broodbakkerij De Volharding , B. van Ommeren, who exerted a greater influence on Methöfer, and Frans Drion also worked . Methöfer became De Volharding's accountant and later attempted to become the cooperative's manager, but this failed. In March 1921, he submitted his release. In The Hague he came into contact with FD Nieuwenhuis and published in the journal Recht voor Allen . From 1892 to 1894 he worked as an editor for the Dutch magazine Anarchist . Because of criticism from mainly anarchists from Amsterdam at the anarchist conference in 1894, Methöfer resigned as editor of the Anarchist . Jan Sterringa published the magazine An-Archie in 1896 as a replacement for Anarchy .

Propaganda trips took him between 1892 and 1894 to Holland , Friesland and the province of Groningen . With his anarchist convictions, Methöfer was closer to FD Nieuwenhuis, with the difference that he advocated the propaganda of the deed . Methöfer had little understanding for syndicalism, or a collaboration between revolutionary socialists and syndicalists in the Netherlands, propagated by Christiaan Cornelissen . Contrary to his expectations, the socialist Bond ("Bund der Sozialisten", SB), forerunner of the Sociaal Democratische Bond , did not become anarchist. Methöfer tried to re- publish the magazine De Anarchist together with Frans Drion in 1896 and 1899 . At the end of 1906 he applied to the Walden municipality in Bussum , which was founded by Frederik van Eeden , and stayed in the municipality for a day. After the unsuccessful application, he went back to work at De Volharding . Through contact with Walden , Methöfer got to know the Vereeniging Gemeenschappelijk Grondbezit (literally: "Association of Community Lands ", GGB) and became involved there as an administrator. The chairman of the GGB, Harm Kolthek, resigned after a factual criticism and a personal conflict with Methöfer.

Methöfer later also became the GGB's treasurer ( penningmeester ). For him, the Vereeniging Gemeenschappelijk Grondbezit was a step in the direction of socialism for the future of workers. From 1909 to 1912 he was the editor of De Pionier magazine . Like Pieter Adrianus Kooijman , he became a member of the Sociaal Democratische Arbeiders Partij (SDAP, which later became part of the PvdA ) and stood for the SDAP as a candidate for the municipal council in The Hague, but was not elected . Methöfer was proposed by the GGB as Algemeen Ambtenaar (literally: "General Official"). His tasks included administration, propaganda and acting as a spokesman for the GGB as well as editing the magazine Vrije Arbeid (Free Work). For health reasons, he resigned from the GGB in 1932.

He published under the pseudonyms Alcibiades , Dixi and Tr (ompetter) .

Johannes Methöfer was married to Hendrika de Haan and the father of two children.

Publications (selection)

• De Vereeniging Gemeenschappelijk Grondbezit . Uitgever: Brochure-depot of the Vereeniging Gemeenschappelijk Grondbezit, 1932
• Het Duitsche Socialisme (The Hague 1891) . Translated by J. Methöfer from Le Révolté magazine .
• De taak der vakvereenigingen (The Hague 1894).
• Doel, middelen en organisatie van de vereeniging Gemeenschappelijk Grondbezit (1909)
• Tien jaren arbeid van de Vereeniging Gemeenschappelijk Grondbezit (Amsterdam 1916);

further reading

• Max Nettlau (Ed.), History of Anarchy . In collaboration with the IISG , Amsterdam. Newly published by Heiner Becker. Library Thélème, Münster 1993, 1st edition, reprint of the Berlin edition, Verlag Der Syndikalist , 1927.
  • Volume 5: Anarchists and Syndicalists . Chapter IX. The Dutch socialist beginnings. Multatuli. The communist anarchists. The Christian anarchists. Antimilitarism in Holland and France until 1914.
• M. Welcker: JCHPh. Methöfer 1863-1933. In: Heren en arbeiders in de vroege Nederlandse arbeidersbewegung 1870-1914. Amsterdam 1978. pp. 377 to 454 and 612 to 622.

archive

About the GGB and JCPH Methöfer. The archive covers the period when Methöfer was in the service of the GGB. Archive at IISG (Amsterdam).

Web links

• Photo of the Coöperatieve broodbakkerij Ons Dagelijksch Brood in Heerlen (1935).

Individual evidence

1. ^ Author: Johanna M. Welcker . Biography about JCHP Methöfer. In: Biographical Woordenboek van het Socialisme en de Arbeidersbewegung in Nederland (BWSA). Originally published in BWSA 1, 1986. pp. 80 to 82. Last modified April 14, 2011. Dutch, accessed April 12, 2013
2. ↑ History of the Coöperatieve Broodbakkerij De Volharding ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Dutch, accessed April 12, 2013  
3. ↑ See on this: Ron Blom: De oude socialist partij van Harm Kolthek . Uitgeverij Eburon, Delft 2007. ISBN 978-90-5972-227-9 . P. 108
4. ↑ See on this: M. Welcker: JCHPh. Methöfer 1863–1933 . In: Heren en arbeiders in de vroege Nederlandse arbeidersbewegung 1870–1914. Pp. 377 to 454
5. ↑ Archief Vereniging Gemeenschappelijk Grondbezit (GGB) . Dutch, accessed April 11, 2013