Christian Friedrich Wurm

Christian Friedrich Wurm, lithograph by Otto Speckter

Christian Friedrich Wurm (born April 3, 1803 in Blaubeuren , † February 2, 1859 in Reinbek ) was a German high school professor , historian , author and liberal politician .

Early years

He came from an educated middle class family from Nürtingen . He was the son of Johann Friedrich Wurm . He attended high school in Stuttgart , where his father also taught. From 1820 he studied theology in Tübingen . He lived there until 1824 in the Protestant monastery and had been a member of the Germania Tübingen fraternity since 1821 . He also studied classical antiquity and improved his English language skills. Wurm was in contact with the pedagogue Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi . After passing the theological exam, he decided to pursue a teaching career. He initially represented his sick father at the grammar school in Stuttgart and in 1825 acquired the degree of Dr. phil. He then took a job at a private educational institution in Epsom, England . After a year he went to London and gave lectures on German literature. He was also a contributor to English newspapers and familiarized himself with English politics and society.

Pre-march

After his return to Germany he acted as a mediator on English culture. Wurm lived in Hamburg from 1827 . There he took over the editing of an English-language newspaper. In addition, between 1830 and 1834 he published the Börsenhalle as a political-literary magazine. In his political articles he represented a moderate liberal position, but also violent anti-Semitic attacks, for example against Ludwig Börne . Even affected by the censorship, he spoke out in favor of the right to freedom of expression. Between 1830 and 1832 he gave widely acclaimed lectures on English history and literature in the Hamburg stock exchange hall. In 1833 he took over the professorship for history at the Academic Gymnasium . He also gave popular public lectures. In addition, he devoted himself to historical research, particularly on the history of the Hanseatic cities. But he was also active as an author many times. Almost a hundred pamphlets come from him not only on history, but also on questions of maritime law and trade policy. He has worked on newspapers, magazines and encyclopedic projects. Among them was participation in the Rotteck-Welcker State Lexicon . Among other things, he wrote for the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, the Staatswissenschaftliche Zeitschrift or the German quarterly journal. In 1832 he married Hermine Speckter and came into contact with her artistically oriented environment.

He also participated in the Hamburg Patriotic Society . Between 1842 and 1847 he advocated political reforms in the city-state. In doing so, he finally called for a representative constitution. He also made proposals for reforms in education and, with others, proposed the establishment of a university. He also spoke out in favor of bringing the Hanseatic cities closer to the German customs union . In addition, he also commented on the oriental question and Schleswig-Holstein. Against the background of these foreign policy issues, he pleaded for a united Germany. For him, the Zollverein was the preliminary stage to a politically united Germany. In addition, he called for a German parliament, for example at the German Association of German Studies in 1847.

Revolution 1848/49

After the beginning of the March Revolution , he gave a speech at a meeting on March 1st in which he enthusiastically supported Friedrich Daniel Bassermann's demands for a German parliament. He belonged to a group of men who summed up Hamburg's reform wishes. He belonged to the committee of seven of the Frankfurt preliminary parliament . There he belonged to the constitutional moderate tendency. During a visit to Stuttgart he became politically active there and appeared as a speaker. He was elected to the Frankfurt National Assembly in the Neckar District. In Frankfurt he belonged to the moderate center ( Württemberger Hof , Augsburger Hof ). He was a member of the committee for the priority of petitions and motions, the committee for international law and the committee for the implementation of the imperial constitution. He often made use of historical arguments in his speeches. In his constituency, especially in Esslingen , his moderate stance was increasingly criticized. He rejected requests for resignation. In parliament he opposed a new phase of the revolution and pleaded for a strong nation-state. In doing so, he took a little German point of view . Austria should no longer belong to the empire to be created, but only be linked to it by an alliance. He elected Friedrich Wilhelm IV. As German Emperor. He was also a member of the German Association for Freedom of Trade.

Reaction era

After the failure of the Frankfurt assembly, he relied temporarily on the Prussian union policy and took part in the Gotha post-parliament in 1849 . In 1850 he worked in London for a German solution to the Schleswig-Holstein question. After 1850 he concentrated primarily on his professional activity in Hamburg, worked as an author and also gave political lectures during the reaction time. In 1854 he wrote a memorandum for British Prime Minister Russell on the treatment of neutral shipping through Great Britain in the Crimean War . Wurm had been a member of the Scholars' Committee of the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg since 1855 . In 1858 he was summoned before the British Parliament as an expert on customs at Stade. His hope for freedom of movement was not fulfilled.

Gravestone plaque Althamburg Memorial Cemetery Ohlsdorf

Honors

In Hamburg, in the area of ​​the Ohlsdorf Althamburg Memorial Cemetery, there is a collective grave ("Professors at the Gymnasium Academicum") in honor of Christian Friedrich Wurm and others.

Works (selection)

• The K. Hanoverian Patent, the German Estates and the Bundestag. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1837 ( google.de ).
• The trade policy of the Hanseatic cities and the interests of the German fatherland. Tramburg's heirs, Hamburg 1839, p. 1–32 ( google.de ).
• Diplomatic history of the oriental question. Leipzig, 1858 digitized
• On the neutrality of German sea trade in times of war. Christian Nicolas Pehmöller in memory of his election to Rath 25 years ago. JA Meissner, Hamburg 1841 ( google.de ).
• On the history of the German Customs Union: two apocryphal chapters and a prophetic one. Jena, 1841 digitized
• Constitutional sketches for the free and Hanseatic cities of Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg. Hamburg, 1841
• Diplomacy, parliament and the German federal state. Braunschweig . 1849 digitized

Remarks

1. ↑ Götz Aly: Envy drove the Germans to hatred of Jews. WeltN24, June 14, 2012, accessed January 18, 2017 . 

literature

• Adolf Wohlwill:  Wurm, Christian Friedrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 44, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1898, pp. 326-332.
• Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I: Politicians. Volume 6: T-Z. Winter, Heidelberg 2005, ISBN 3-8253-5063-0 , pp. 386-388.
• H. Schleiden : To the memory of Christian Friedrich Wurm , Professor of History at the Academic Gymnasium in Hamburg, Perthes , Besser & Mauke , Hamburg 1859, (Contains: Biographical Notes; List of all of Wurm’s published works; Speeches on the coffin; Words, in memory of his colleague and two obituaries, digitized )

Web links

• Dr. phil. Christian Friedrich Wurm . In: Heinrich Best : The members of the Frankfurt National Assembly 1848/1849 (BIORAB-FRANKFURT)