demagogy

Demagoguery ( ancient Greek δῆμος dēmos " people " and ἄγειν agein "lead"; originally "leadership", dysphemistic : " seduction of the people ") denotes ideological agitation in a derogatory sense , especially in the political field.

history

Originally, the term was usually positive. The ancient demagogue was a respected speaker and leader of the people in political decisions. It was an honorary title for Pericles , but Thucydides applied the term disparagingly to Cleon .

In the age of absolutism , demagoguery in the sense of inciting the people was seen as a danger to the stability of the form of government: A ban on positive reporting on the English Revolution and Oliver Cromwell , which the German princes decided in 1653/54, was justified by the fact that they “themselves to demagogis "and" to a vitiosam Democratiam or even anarchiam run out ".

At the beginning of the 19th century, gifted speakers were still valued as “demagogues”. The Carlsbad resolutions of 1819 brought about the implementation of a demagoguery with a clearly negative connotation. The political reaction branded their opponents as demagogues and initiated numerous coercive measures ( censorship , teaching bans, etc.) against them. Under the name of demagogue persecution , representatives of the German Confederation took action against German-national and liberal groups and individuals who were accused of subversion and rebellion . After the July Revolution of 1830, the measures against the "demagogic activities" were renewed and particularly affected the fraternity members , for example Fritz Reuter .

In the 20th century, demagoguery as a means of ideologizing the masses was most widespread, with advances in the media playing an essential role. At the same time, the concept of demagogy was completely negated. The adjective demagogic now belonged to the derogatory vocabulary. Today the term demagogic describes a method of ultimately gaining power by stirring up widespread emotions and prejudices .

Ideologists of fascism and national socialism called their method political propaganda , the representatives of socialist or communist ideologies mainly called it agitation . In particular, each other was accused of demagoguery.

Today's definition

Today demagoguery is defined as follows:

"Demagogy is practiced by anyone who publicly advertises a political goal when the opportunity arises, by flattering the masses, appealing to their feelings, instincts and prejudices, furthermore is guilty of agitation and lies, exaggerated or grossly simplified the truth, the matter that he wants to enforce, spends on the cause of all well-meaning, and the way in which he enforces or proposes to enforce is the only possible one. "

- Martin Morlock 1977

Demagogues are not looking for the best for everyone, not truth, not justice, but only suitable means to present their personal interests (or the interests of those they represent) as the general and their decisions as the only right ones. Their tactics for discussion: scandalous failures, counter-attacks, unprovable claims about the essentials. Your method: interpret everything for your own benefit and to the detriment of the opponent, up to and including obvious, blatant lies in order to assert your own position in a dispute and not have to give in. Their goal: not a constructive dialogue, not a peaceful coexistence, but a hostility fueled by permanent provocation towards everything that is different, striking controversy as an expression of protest against grievances (in order not to have to improve them), and propagandistic appearance in enforcement and carrying out their will. A compromise can only be reached with demagogues if they see above all their interests in it, which they can then present as their victory.

With everything, demagoguery remains a more political-moral or theoretical category. In the criminal form of sedition , it is viewed as a criminal offense.

literature

Christian Mann : The demagogues and the people. For political communication in Athens in the 5th century BC. Chr. (= Klio. Contributions to Ancient History . Supplements New Series Volume 13). Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-05-004351-7 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Demagogy - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

↑ “The 'demagogue' has been the type of leading politician in the Occident since the constitutional state and especially since democracy. The unpleasant aftertaste of the word must not make one forget that it was not Kleon but Perikles who was the first to bear this name. ”(Max Weber: Politik als Beruf , Munich and Leipzig 1919, 25–26 Max Weber Complete Edition . Volume I / 17.Edited by Wolfgang J. Mommsen and Wolfgang Schluchter , Tübingen 1992, p. 191.)
↑ Quoted from Holger Böning : Newspaper and Enlightenment . In: Martin Welke / Jürgen Wilke (eds.): 400 years of the newspaper. The development of the daily press in an international context . Bremen 2008, ISBN 978-3-934686-37-3 , pp. 287-310, here p. 297.
↑ Martin Morlock : High school of seduction. A manual of demagogy . Econ Verlag, Vienna / Düsseldorf 1977, ISBN 3-430-16823-6 , p. 24.

[1] “The 'demagogue' has been the type of leading politician in the Occident since the constitutional state and especially since democracy. The unpleasant aftertaste of the word must not make one forget that it was not Kleon but Perikles who was the first to bear this name. ”(Max Weber: Politik als Beruf , Munich and Leipzig 1919, 25–26 Max Weber Complete Edition . Volume I / 17.Edited by Wolfgang J. Mommsen and Wolfgang Schluchter , Tübingen 1992, p. 191.)

[2] Quoted from Holger Böning : Newspaper and Enlightenment . In: Martin Welke / Jürgen Wilke (eds.): 400 years of the newspaper. The development of the daily press in an international context . Bremen 2008, ISBN 978-3-934686-37-3 , pp. 287-310, here p. 297.

[3] Martin Morlock : High school of seduction. A manual of demagogy . Econ Verlag, Vienna / Düsseldorf 1977, ISBN 3-430-16823-6 , p. 24.