The social democrat

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The Social Democrat - title page of the January 4, 1865 edition

The Social Democrat (published from January 1, 1865, initially with the subtitle Organ of the General German Workers 'Association . Since 1866 with the subtitle: Organ of the Social-Democratic Party ) was a social-democratic newspaper of the General German Workers' Association that appeared since December 15, 1864 . It appeared under this title until 1871. The successor was initially Der Agitator , then the newspaper Neuer Social-Demokratie and from 1876 Der Vorwärts .

history

prehistory

The ADAV initially had no party organ of its own. The Nordstern , which appeared in Hamburg, offered only limited compensation . Ferdinand Lassalle was initially skeptical about founding a newspaper in 1863. In the summer of 1864 he was presented with a calculation of the cost of a party newspaper. Nevertheless, he could not make up his mind to found a paper. He therefore welcomed the proposal by Johann Baptist von Schweitzer and Johann Baptist von Hofstetten to publish a sheet at their own expense. They made it a condition that Lassalle would recognize it as an organ of the association.

Foundation phase

The paper did not appear until after Lassalle's death. The first sample number appeared on December 15, 1864. The second appeared on December 21, and the third on December 30. The newspaper appeared regularly since January 4, 1865. Initially, the newspaper was published three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Later appeared daily at least at times. But they soon returned to the old mode of publication.

The newspaper's program stated: 1. Solidarity of the interests of the people and the people's cause through the entire civilized world, 2. All of mighty Germany a free people's state, 3. Abolition of the rule of capital.

Von Schweitzer and von Hofstetten were editors and owners of the paper that appeared in Berlin. The actual head was from Schweitzer. At first he tried to establish good relations with the first international that had just been formed . In the first editions the paper published the inaugural address of the international. Von Schweitzer persuaded the reluctant Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to contribute to the paper. Wilhelm Liebknecht even joined the editorial team. Other authors initially included Moses Hess , Bernhard Becker , Johann Philipp Becker , Georg Herwegh , Wilhelm Rustow and Heinrich Wuttke . Because of different positions, including on the treatment of Otto von Bismarck , Marx and Engels soon gave up their collaboration and Liebknecht resigned from the editorial office. Herwegh, Riistow and Johann Philipp Becker also soon withdrew. Only Wuttke and Hess remained. The latter delivered regular reports from Paris and, as usual with the newspaper, received a fee of 1.5 to 2 talers per contribution. Critical remarks by Hess also contributed to the withdrawal of Marx and Engels from collaboration.

The importance of the paper was of great importance for the party for internal cohesion. The president of the ADAV Bernhard Becker wrote: " Take the organization away from our association, and there is nothing left but the party of newspaper readers, over which the 'Social Democrat' commands. "

Apart from theoretical arguments between Schweitzer and Marx, for example, the newspaper fought vigorously for freedom of association in the first few years and supported the striking typesetters during the Leipzig Threepenny Strike . The paper often turned against the liberal Progressive Party while at least at times it was less energetic in opposing Otto von Bismarck's policies . This triggered violent criticism from Wilhelm Liebknecht.

Financial problems

The leaf was initially found not to be viable on its own. In 1865 the print run was 1000 copies. It also fell further because of the considerable price for workers. The number of subscribers was only 420 at the beginning of 1866. Von Hofstetten made his continued existence possible with his private fortune. This was used up in 1867 and von Schweitzer dropped his partner and refused to continue working. Since then, von Schweitzer has been the sole owner. The deficits of the paper were taken over by the club's treasury. The ordinary income was not sufficient for this, so that von Schweitzer organized an extraordinary collection of money. In order not to deliver ammunition to the political opponents, only important club interests were given as reasons. The use of the funds should be accounted for at the next General Assembly. As a replacement for von Hofstetten, Wilhelm Hasselmann was employed as an assistant editor. At the general assembly of 1868, von Schweitzer gave an account of the use of the money raised. At the same time, the meeting decided to use the financial surpluses of the association to cover the costs of the Social Democrats . As the owner, von Schweitzer was still liable for a thousand thalers. Until the sheet could support itself, the association should take over the missing copies and use them for agitation purposes. The majority rejected the application to transfer the sheet completely into the association's ownership. After the unions close to the ADAV also used the paper as an organ, the scope had increased. After there were again financial problems, Schweitzer secured full control and waived subsidies from the club's treasury. He bore the deficit himself with the help of his father's inheritance.

The newspaper in internal and inter-party disputes

Von Schweitzer used the paper, even when he was not yet party chairman, to influence the opinion of the ADAV in his favor. His opponents around Countess Hatzfeldt published the rival newspaper Der Nordstern in Hamburg . The Social Democrat at times came into open opposition to the club's president, Bernhard Becker, and contributed to his resignation. In the transitional period when Vice President Friedrich Wilhelm Fritzsche temporarily headed the ADAV, the latter forbade the sheet to call itself an association organ. Since then, the newspaper has had the subtitle Organ of the Social Democratic Party. Carl Wilhelm Tölcke recognized the newspaper again as an organ of the association until a final decision was made. Von Schweitzer also ran the newspaper during his presidency between 1867 and 1871. Even at that time it was controversial whether it should not be better to put the editorial team and the presidency in two hands. The critics accused Schweitzer of one-sided reporting. At the general assembly of 1868 there was an ultimately unsuccessful proposal to separate the editorial office and party leadership. At the General Assembly in 1869 it was decided to create an editorial committee as a complaints office.

Even if Marx had turned away from the Social Democrat, von Schweitzer was careful not to allow a final break to occur. In the spring of 1868 a review of the first volume of the capital appeared in twelve editions in succession . This also found the goodwill of Marx. In 1869 an anonymous but probably Schweitzer article on the International appeared, in which it was stated that every member of the ADAV would also be considered an International.

The newspaper Democratic Weekly from Liebknecht became a competitor . Schweitzer attacked the Prussian government sharply after the founding of the North German Confederation in the Social Democrats, which earned him various penalties and led to the newspaper being confiscated several times. In order to ensure a certain regularity of appearance, von Schweitzer had to act a little more cautiously. The Democratic Weekly Gazette, which appears in Saxony, did not need to take this into account. In terms of political orientation, the two papers differed in that the Social Democrat was basically on the soil of the North German Confederation, while the Wochenblatt continued to oppose it. In 1869, Der Volksstaat took the place of the Democratic Weekly Journal.

Spread since 1868

In 1868 the social democrat had 3,400 subscribers. These were distributed over 215 locations. Most lived in Hamburg (807). This was followed by Berlin (224), Elberfeld and Barmen (161), Hanover (154), Essen (107), Braunschweig (89), Harburg (61), Altona (60), Kassel (58), Frankfurt am Main (53) and Paris (50). The newspaper had a circulation of 5000 copies in 1869 and 2800 copies in 1871. The last edition appeared on April 26, 1871.

New social democrat

After Schweitzer's resignation from the party chairmanship and the election of Wilhelm Hasenclever as his successor, the newspaper was merged with the magazine Der Agitator under the name of New Social Democrat . The last edition of the old paper appeared on April 26, 1871. The New Social Democrat was owned by the party. The editors-in-chief were under the direction of Hasenclever Carl Wilhelm Tölcke and Wilhelm Hasselmann. In contrast to Schweitzer's time, the editorial team had a certain amount of leeway. The paper also printed criticism of the first International and followed its crisis closely. The newspaper had about 11,000 subscribers by 1874. After the merger of ADAV and SDAP, the newspaper went on in Vorwärts 1876. At that time it had a circulation of 14,000 copies.

Frequency of publication

Sample number November 15, 1864. 1st to 7th year. January 1, 1865 to April 26, 1871, three times a week, from No. 79, July 1, 1865 daily except on Sundays and public holidays, from No. 76, 1st April 1866 three times a week. Publisher H. König Berlin. From No. 76, April 1, Verlag JB v. Hofstetten.

Contemporary prints

  • From the social democrat. Leading articles and essays from the organ of the Social Democratic Party. Berlin, 1868. Digitized

literature

  • Eduard Bernstein (ed.): The history of the Berlin workers' movement. A chapter on the history of German social democracy. First part: From 1848 until the Socialist Law was drawn up. Buchhandlung Vorwärts (Hans Weber), Berlin 1907, p. 124 ff.
  • Franz Mehring : History of the German Social Democracy. Vol. 3. 4th edition Stuttgart, 1909 pp. 188 f., 193, 196 f., 208-211, 213, 225, 226, 229
  • In the dispute between the Lassalleans and Eisenacher . In: New Forward. Central organ of the Social Democratic Party of Germany . New forward publishing house, Hanover / Cologne: 1. October 1951
  • New social democrat . In: Wilhelm Kosch : Biographisches Staats Handbuch. Lexicon of politics, press and journalism . Continued by Eugen Kuri. 2nd vol., Franke, Bern / Munich 1963, p. 913
  • Bettina Hitzer: Key to two worlds: political song and poem by workers and citizens 1848 - 1875. Bonn, 2001 online version

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Edited by Johann Baptist Schweitzer. The responsible editor and publisher was W. Grüwel. Berlin from April 1, 1870 to June 24, 1871. The newspaper appeared once a week. Reprint Berlin / Bonn 1978.
  2. ↑ Subtitle: Organ des All. German workers 'association, the workers' support association and the all. German. Masons Association . From May 1, 1872: property of the General German Workers' Association ; from No. 65 June 10, 1874: property of the Lassalleans ; from No. 68 June 11, 1875: Organ of the Socialist Workers' Party of Germany. Editor: J. Otto; from No. 70, June 21, 1872; A. Kapell , from No. 27, March 5, 1873; C. Becker from No. 71, June 24, 1874; L. Pfeiffer, from No. 136, November 22, 1874; A. Küster from No. 138, November 21, 1875; W. Hasselmann , from No. 139, November 24, 1875; H. Lange from No. 1, January 5, 1876; W. Hasselmann, H. Lange, P. Lossau, Otto Reimer from No. 91, August 9, 1876
  3. ^ Bert Andréas : On the agitation and propaganda of the General German Workers' Association 1863/64 . In: Archives for Social History 3/1963 S.303f.
  4. ↑ Edmund Silberner : Moses Hess and the International Workers' Association. In: Archive for Social History 5/1965 pp. 83–88
  5. ^ Konrad Dussel German daily press in the 19th and 20th centuries. Münster, 2011 p.98, Rudolf Stöber: German Press History. From the beginning to the present . Constance, 2005 p.228
  6. ↑ Walther Kiaulehn: Berlin: fate of a cosmopolitan city. Munich, 1997 p.188
  7. ^ Franz Mehring: History of the German Social Democracy . Vol. 3. 4th edition Stuttgart, 1909 p.316, 323f., 351
  8. ^ Andreas Feser: Wealth Power and Media Influence. Party-owned companies and equal opportunities for the parties . Diss., 2003 p.66
  9. ^ Franz Mehring: History of the German Social Democracy . Vol. 3. 4th edition Stuttgart, 1909 p.323, p.351f., P. 354.
  10. ↑ Ernst Schraepler: The disintegration of the First International in the mirror of the "New Social Democrat" . In: Archives for Social History 3/1963 p.511
  11. ^ Franz Mehring: History of the German Social Democracy . Vol. 3. 4th edition Stuttgart, 1909 pp. 309-314
  12. ^ Franz Mehring: History of the German Social Democracy . Vol. 3. 4th edition Stuttgart, 1909 p.314
  13. ^ Rudolf Stöber: German press history. From the beginning to the present . Constance, 2005 246
  14. ↑ Ernst Schraepler: The disintegration of the First International in the mirror of the "New Social Democrat". In: Archives for Social History 3/1963 p. 516
  15. ^ Rudolf Stöber: German press history. From the beginning to the present . Konstanz, 2005 p. 246
  16. ^ A contemporary content analysis offers: Adolf Held : Die deutsche Arbeiterpresse der Gegenwart . Leipzig, 1873 pp. 101–108 Digitized version (PDF; 9.5 MB)