Bergisch-Märkischer Greek Association
The Bergisch-Märkische Greeks Association was an association to support the Greeks in the Greek War of Independence with its headquarters in Elberfeld . As the largest of these associations in the Rhine Province and the Province of Westphalia , it transferred a considerable sum of money for the Greek resistance fighters and, as a citizens' association against the official policy of the state government, played a role in the political emancipation of the Vormärz bourgeoisie in Prussia .
background
The philhellenism , so the rapturous enthusiasm for an independent Greece in the footsteps of ancient Greek culture, was also in the Kingdom of Prussia very popular. Promoted by the humanistic educational ideal of the Enlightenment , the reflection on antiquity was important as a symbol for the national self-definition even during the occupation of Germany by Napoleon ; In Germany in the 1820s everything Greek was extremely popular and found its way into fashion, accessories and children's games. At the same time, the first 'subject-specific' associations were formed to support various social issues. A first wave of Greek support shortly after the outbreak of the revolution in 1821 was suppressed by most of the German states, which for reasons of state held on to the inviolability of the borders of the Ottoman Empire . Only when the situation of the Greeks became more precarious and manifested itself in the siege of the city of Mesolongi , which had been going on since 1825 , did the Prussian state tolerate a second phase of support from its citizens. On April 25, 1826, the Allgemeine Preussische Staatszeitung published a public appeal for support for fellow Christians in need, which is called the Hufeland appeal after its most prominent signatory, the Prussian State Councilor Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland . Advocacy for the political cause of the rebellious Greeks was - not least because of the feared promotion of liberal forces in their own state - still undesirable and did not take place.
Soon after this appeal, numerous Greek associations were formed very quickly to raise money for the needy Greek Orthodox population.
History and activities of the association
From the fact that 30 men from Elberfeld and the towns of Barmen, Hagen, Herdecke and Unna gathered on May 1, 1826 and were able to make the foundation of the Bergisch-Märkischen Greeks Association public, one concludes that the contacts of the Philhellenes had been in existence for a long time Had passed breastfeeding. A few days after it was founded, the association reported that it had sent the Paris Committee of Greece (French: Société philanthropique en faveur des Grecs ) a sum of 4,300 francs four weeks earlier , money that may have been collected years earlier. In a newspaper announcement, the association warned of the complete annihilation, enslavement, lawlessness and kidnapping of the Greeks and called for donations: "Whoever has a human heart in their bosom cannot remain indifferent to such horrific scenes!" At the same time it was emphasized that the Association “alien to all political intentions”.
All founding members were members of the upper class, including merchants, journalists, pastors of both denominations, city councilors, judges and members of the state parliament. The most prominent founding member was the later Prussian trade and finance minister August von der Heydt , the members of numerous prominent Barmer and Elberfeld industrialist families were also among the founders, for example August Engels, the brother of Friedrich Engels senior. By June 1826 the association had grown to around 80 members in 27 local associations. A company based in Elberfeld, by personal agreement formed Comité kept the donations received that should be supplied by a general meeting of its determination after the annual election of Directors.
In total, the members and local departments of the association collected the sum of 16,471 Rthl . , 23 Sgr. and 10 Pf. a; the collective amounts were published in donation lists. The pastors of the association played a not inconsiderable part of the collection of donations, who also made their contribution to the donation amount through sermons with subsequent collections. Donation collectors outside the association were also approached, some of whom systematically walked from house to house in previously divided areas and solicited donations. Benefit concerts and balls as well as a lottery were organized within the association, and numerous events by other associations also brought money into the box office. In addition, various poems and chants on the Greek theme and a letter from women from Greece were sold to European Greek friends and the proceeds were donated.
Letters to the editor in newspapers led to a public debate as to whether the money raised should reach Greece through the Paris Association or through an all-Prussian umbrella organization to be founded. Despite the emphatic charitable orientation of the collecting activity, it was possible to plead uncensored for the delivery of field food or weapons to the fighting Greeks. On June 10, 1826, a general assembly was held in Schwelm , at which, after lengthy debates and discussions with representatives of the Düsseldorf and Triers associations, it was decided to pass on the money received to the Paris Société , with the clear indication that it should be used for the same purposes like their own, which explicitly included military aid. It was also important to ensure that the Greeks provided sufficient recognition of the origin of the funds. Then, a Board of five Elberfeld members, including that of the previous Committees elected. With the equivalent of over 64,000 francs, the association became the one from Prussia after Wroclaw that transferred the largest amount to the Paris Société . In the course of 1827 the willingness to donate for the cause of the association decreased sharply, the last published list of donations from October 3rd of this year is at the same time the last written evidence for the existence of the association.
The importance of the association is not only seen in its indirect contribution to the Greek Revolution. In view of the independent bourgeois stance clearly opposed to the interests of the Prussian government apparatus, the association and the movement that produced it are regarded as a typical phenomenon of a political movement of the Vormärz that emerged from the population.