The conscience

The conscience
Area of ​​Expertise	politics
language	German
publishing company	Verlag Gewissen (Germany)
First edition	April 9, 1919
attitude	March 30, 1929
Frequency of publication	weekly, on Fridays
Sold edition	1500-4000 copies
()
Editor-in-chief	Werner Wirths , later Heinrich von Gleichen-Rußwurm
editor	Ed. Stadtler periodicity
ZDB	2435947-6

During the Weimar Republic, the conscience (supplement initially an independent newspaper for popular education ) was the publication organ of the young conservative organization Juniklub . The weekly newspaper appeared from 1919 to 1929.

Circulation and distribution

The newspaper always appeared on Fridays. It stated its circulation as 30,000 copies, but the actual number of copies was much lower at 1,500 to 4,000. In addition, a large part of the circulation had to be distributed free of charge because there were too few buyers. The organ of the June club saw itself as revolutionary-conservative and was aimed primarily at young conservatives from the more intellectual milieu. It rejected both the November socialist revolution and the existing state. Politically one was close to the German National People's Party , but rejected the monarchy and party politics as such. While sympathy for the failed Kapp Putsch was shown, the paper called the Hitler putsch a “crime of stupidity”.

content

The sheet appeared predominantly on four pages. Only in the last two years of its publication did the number of pages fluctuate between 4 and 20 pages. The magazine usually consisted of an editorial and fixed sections such as “Criticism of the Press” and “Weekly Chronicle”. The editor-in-chief was the journalist Werner Wirths .

meaning

Despite the relatively small print run and limited circulation, the magazine was important for the so-called " Conservative Revolution ". The magazine contained articles by the most important conservative intellectuals of the time. Guest authors such as Werner Best , Hans Blüher , Hans Grimm , Ernst Jünger , Hans Schwarz and Otto Strasser were represented. Arthur Moeller van den Bruck was a regular employee. The most prominent reader was certainly Thomas Mann , who bought a subscription in 1920 .

history

The paper initially appeared irregularly in the first few years. It later established itself as a weekly that appeared every Friday, but with the date of the following Monday. After the assassination attempt on Walter Rathenau , the newspaper was banned for six months under the Republic Protection Act. Until 1927 the paper continuously lost its importance. It was then taken over by the German Men's Club . Heinrich von Gleichen-Rußwurm took over the newspaper as editor-in-chief . More important for the conservative current, however, was Der Ring , which was published by the same publisher. On March 30, 1929, the conscience ceased its publication. It was continued as a standard .

literature

• Claudia Kemper : The “Conscience” 1919–1925. Communication and networking of the young conservatives (= systems of  order. Studies on the history of ideas in the modern age . Volume 36 ). Oldenbour, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-486-70496-9 (dissertation; available in Google Books ).
• Armin Pfahl-Traughber: "Conservative Revolution" and "New Right". Right-wing intellectuals against the democratic constitutional state . Leske + Budrich, Opladen 1998, ISBN 3-8100-1888-0 , p. 80-84 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Armin Pfahl-Traughber: "Conservative Revolution" and "New Right". Right-wing intellectuals against the democratic constitutional state . Leske + Budrich, Opladen 1998, ISBN 3-8100-1888-0 , p. 82 .
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Armin Pfahl-Traughber: "Conservative Revolution" and "New Right". Right-wing intellectuals against the democratic constitutional state . Leske + Budrich, Opladen 1998, ISBN 3-8100-1888-0 , p. 80-84 .
3. ^ The editors: Message to the readers . In: The conscience . No. 6 , March 30, 1929, pp. 1 ( zefys.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de ).