Hans Amandus Munster

Hans Amandus Münster (born February 12, 1901 in Hamburg ; † January 17, 1963 in Bad Mergentheim ) was a communication scientist , author and publicist .

Childhood, youth and family

Hans Amandus Münster was born in Harvestehude as the son of the Hamburg architect Carl Münster (1868–1926) and his wife Käthe (1873–1955), née Paap . As an Eppendorfer senior high school student, he was called in in 1918 for the 1st Westphalian young men stage command for agricultural work in northern France. In 1919/20 he belonged to a volunteer corps and took part in the Kapp Putsch .

In 1927 he married Melanie Schott (1889–1946), twelve years his senior, who brought three sons into the marriage, all of whom later died in World War II . In 1948, two years after the death of his wife, he married the Munich journalist Ruth Göldner (1923–1988), with whom he had a daughter, the later sociologist Anne-Marie Whiting (* 1949), and a son, the later architect Carsten Münster (* 1953).

education

After graduating in 1920, he studied economics , sociology , political philosophy and newspaper studies at the University of Cologne , the Hamburg University , the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Berlin and the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel . In 1924 he did his doctorate under the sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies on "Public opinion in Johann Josef Görres' political journalism".

Professional development

In 1924 he began his professional career as a local reporter for the Ostpreussische Zeitung in Königsberg. In 1925 he took over the general management of the Fichte-Gesellschaft in Hamburg for a short time , but then volunteered in the same year at the seminar for journalism and newspaper management at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg im Breisgau as an assistant to Wilhelm Kapp (1865-1943).

At the beginning of 1927 he worked as a consultant for Martin Mohr (1867-1927) at the German Institute for Newspaper Studies (DIZ) in Berlin, which was co-founded by the German Society for Newspaper Science (DGZW), which was founded in 1926 . After Mohr's death, Emil Dovifat took over the management of the DIZ.

In the period up to 1933, Münster carried out methodically innovative recipient research there, the social-scientific character of which was inspired by reform pedagogy . At the time, this was the largest youth study in this specialist discipline, because empirical data was not yet valued very much. Münster endeavored to define the terminology and categorizations as precisely as possible. In the course of a large-scale empirical study , 100,000 young people were surveyed using a standardized questionnaire in order to research their newspaper usage.

In 1928 he was one of the members of the scientific history committee of the international press exhibition Pressa in Cologne, headed by Karl d'Ester , and participated in the new edition of the Rheinischer Merkurs by Joseph Görres , on which he had obtained his doctorate.

From 1930 onwards, Münster and Emil Dovifat organized and staged newspaper studies courses at the Berlin Adult Education Center, and from 1931 newspaper studies courses for teachers at the DIZ. He was editor of the bi-monthly magazine Der Zeitspiegel .

In 1932 Münster joined the NSDAP .

In July 1933, Münster was appointed deputy director of the German Institute for Newspaper Studies, after having been head of department there from 1932. In the winter semester of 1933/34, Münster initially took over the Leipzig chair for newspaper studies from Erich Everth, who was first on leave and then in the autumn . In 1934 he received a full professorship in Leipzig on the basis of his study Jugend und Zeitung, which was found to be sufficient as a habilitation thesis, and was appointed director of the institute. In this case, due to the vacancy of the chair, the regular habilitation process was refrained from, especially since the old form of the habilitation with a private lecturer was rejected by the National Socialists. As a professor he was the only formative figure in this department in Leipzig at that time. At the same time, the 24-year-old National Socialist Karl Oswin Kurth (1910–1981) became an assistant at the institute. In 1935 Münster became head of the press office at Leipzig University. From 1935 to 1937 he was not only dean of the philological and historical department of the Philosophical Faculty, but also the general dean of the Philosophical Faculty.

He already underlined his closeness to National Socialism and his political convictions in this regard in his inaugural lecture, in which he narrowed the subject to purely political journalism. Newspaper studies, the first function of which is a “public education task”, must “be pursued out of a real National Socialist spirit”. He then tried to shape the Leipzig Institute into a model Nazi institute. In journalism he became an exponent of massive technical disputes. His model of journalism was based on the interaction and the effect of the "journalistic management tools".

Expressions of the Nazi ideology anticipated by Münster are also the works that appeared afterwards, such as the newspaper and politics (1935), Der Wille zu haben - a Germanic trait in the popular leadership of the new state. On the meaning of newspaper science (1938) or journalism. People - Means - Methods (1939). In 1944 he was appointed head of the journalism specialist group in the leadership of the Reich lecturers.

Despite the fact that Münster was largely in agreement with the goals of National Socialism and with the Nazi postulate that the goal of the news was political influence, Münster's attitude was not congruent with the dominant scholars around the president of the German Association of Newspapers (DZV) founded in 1933 , Walther Heide .

While the journalism of the Weimar Republic was already trying to integrate radio (radio) and film and had set up its own teaching and research departments for this, the National Socialists dismantled this and again limited teaching and research largely to the newspaper industry. Dissertation topics were only given very exceptionally to the thematic complexes of radio or film considered as marginal areas. The newspaper science associations were even prohibited from engaging in radio or film.

Münster did not want to follow these guidelines and kept radio and film in the curriculum at Leipzig University. In 1940 he succeeded in getting a teaching post for radio studies and in 1944 another for film studies.

Empirical recipient research was also abruptly discontinued by the National Socialists in 1933, studies that had been started were discontinued and not evaluated, and their supporters dismissed. A sociological study of newspaper readers that Stephan Schreder had begun in the German Reich therefore had to be continued in the Republic of Austria and was presented as a dissertation in Basel, Switzerland in 1936. It was not received in Germany during the National Socialist era .

For Münster, the empirical research of the readership represented a central element, but also with the stipulation that the readership's opinion formation should be politically unilaterally influenced.

After the end of the war, Münster was interned in the Ludwigsburg camp. From 1948 he worked in Starnberg, initially as an employee of local print media and as an author of local history publications. His repeated attempts to return to university work were unsuccessful. From 1950 he worked for the Advertising Science Institute in Munich. From 1956 he worked on advertising for the new journal Publizistik . Between 1959 and 1963 he was editor of the magazine Verlags-Praxis . His publications during this period reflect this work.

Works (excerpt)

• Public opinion in Johann Josef Görres' political journalism . Phil. Diss. 1924, Staatspolitischer Verlag, Berlin 1926
• Johann Josef Görres. A selection from his national writings . Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt, Hamburg approx. 1926
• Public opinion and its domination , 1926
• The idea of ​​freedom at Görres . BG Teubner, Leipzig 1928
• Newspaper problems . BG Teubner Verlag, Leipzig 1929 (Vol. 1 - Public Opinion and Freedom of the Press), 1930 (Vol. 2 - Requirements and Limits of Newspaper Production)
• Youth and newspaper . C. Duncker-Verlag, Berlin 1932
• The three tasks of German newspaper science . Robert Noske University Press, Leipzig 1934
• Studying newspaper science in Leipzig . A. Lorentz-Verlag, Leipzig 1935
• Newspaper and politics. An introduction to newspaper science . Robert Noske University Press, Leipzig 1935
• Nature and effect of journalism Work on influencing the people and spiritual leadership of all times and peoples . Robert Noske University Press, Leipzig 1937
• Newspaper as a source of historical research . Quader-Verlag August Bach, Berlin 1937
• The will to convince - a Germanic trait in the popular leadership of the new state. From the meaning of newspaper science . Robert Noske University Press, Borna 1938
• with Walter Schöne: Newspaper Studies and German Libraries . Richard Hadl Publishing House, Leipzig 1938
• as publisher: Leipzig contributions to research into journalism (approx. 8 volumes, between around 1939 and 1942)
• Journalism. People - means - methods . Meyer's small handbooks, vol. 17. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1939
• 25 years at the Institute for Newspaper Studies at the University of Leipzig (1916–41) . Publishing house Gunter Dittert, Leipzig 1941
• History of the German press presented in its main features . Meyer's small handbooks, vol. 26. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1941
• Guide through the Starnberg and Ammersee area . Bergverlag Rudolf Rothert, Munich 1951
• To research the prehistory and early history of our periodical press . In: Börsenblatt für den deutschen Buchhandel, Vol. 9, 1953, pp. 475–476
• The modern press. The newspaper and magazine industry at home and abroad . Carl Ferdinand Harrach-Verlag, Bad Kreuznach 1955 (Vol. 1 - Die Presse in Deutschland), 1956 (Vol. 2 - Die Presse abroad)
• Gutenberg's inventions and the development of the world press . Ceremonial lecture given at the academic morning party of Burgverein Eltville e. V. - Gutenberg memorial - for the castle festival on June 17, 1956. Burgverein Eltville e. V. (Ed.), Eltville am Rhein, 1956
• Market research primer . CW Leske-Verlag, Darmstadt 1957
• Advertise and sell in the common European market . CW Leske-Verlag, Darmstadt 1960
• The press. Trumps in advertising. A critical analysis . Forkel-Verlag, Münster 1963

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Heinz Starkulla jun .: Muenster, Hans Amandus . In: Deutsche Biographie, 18 (1997), pp. 538f. From: deutsche-biographie.de, accessed on May 14, 2017.
2. ↑ Doreen Ksienzyk: Hans Amandus Munster's concept of effect using the example of his study "Youth and Newspaper" (1932) . From: grin.com, accessed May 14, 2017.
3. ^ Lutz Hachmeister: Theory of Journalism in the Third Reich . In: Journal für Publizistik & Kommunikation, 3rd year, No. 1, pp. 35–44.
4. ^ Arnulf Kutsch: The subject in Leipzig - 1916 to 1945 . In: Relation Leipzig, October 1996
5. ^ Arnulf Kutsch: Communication and Media Studies . In: Ulrich von Hehl / Uwe John / Manfred Rudersdorf (eds.): History of the University of Leipzig 1409-2009, Vol. 4/1. Universitätsverlag Leipzig 2009, pp. 741–759.
6. ^ Hendrik Wagner: Hans Amandus Münster . In: Biographical Lexicon of Communication Science. From: halemverlag.de, accessed on May 14, 2017.
7. ↑ Horst Pöttker: Participated, continued, closed. On the Nazi legacy of communication studies in Germany . In: AVISO, No. 28, January 2001, p. 4.
8. ↑ Hans Amandus Münster: Declaration of September 9, 1950 (unpublished in private ownership), quoted from Sylvia Straetz: The Institute for Newspaper Studies in Leipzig until 1945 . In: Rüdiger vom Bruch / Otto B. Roegele (Hrsg.): From newspaper studies to journalism. Biographical and institutional stages in German newspaper studies in the first half of the 20th century. Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1986, p. 86.
9. ^ Arnulf Kutsch: Karl Oswin Kurth (1910-1981) . In: ders. (Ed.): Newspaper scientists in the Third Reich. Seven biographical studies. Cologne: Studienverlag Hayit, Cologne 1984, pp. 217–243.
10. ↑ Stefanie Averbeck / Arnulf Kutsch: Theses on the history of newspaper and journalism studies . In: Medien & Zeit 17th vol. (2002), No. 2/3, pp. 57–66.
11. ↑ Hans Münster: The three tasks of German newspaper science . In: Zeitungswissenschaft 9th vol. (1934), pp. 241–249.
12. ↑ Jochen Jedraszczyk: Hans Amandus cathedral and the ideology of the Leipzig Institute for journalism in the Third Reich . In: Yearbook for University History, Volume 14 (2011), pp. 189–204.
13. ↑ Walther Killy / Rudolf Vierhaus (eds.): Münster, Hans Amandus . In: German Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. KG Saur Verlag, Munich 1998, p. 297.
14. ^ Lutz Hachmeister : Theoretical Journalism. Studies on the history of communication science in Germany . Wissenschaftsverlag V. Spiess, Berlin 1987. ISBN 978-3891660447 .
15. ^ Stefanie Averbeck: Communication as a process. Sociological Perspectives in Newspaper Studies 1927–1934 . LIT Verlag, Münster / Hamburg 1999, p. 134.
16. ^ Arnulf Kutsch: Karl Oswin Kurth (1910-1981) . In: ders. (Ed.): Newspaper scientists in the Third Reich. Seven biographical studies. Cologne: Studienverlag Hayit, Cologne 1984, pp. 217–243.
17. ↑ Hans Amandus Münster: Declaration of September 9, 1950 (unpublished in private ownership), quoted from Sylvia Straetz: The Institute for Newspaper Studies in Leipzig until 1945. In: Rüdiger vom Bruch / Otto B. Roegele (ed.): Von der Zeitungskunde for journalism. Biographical and institutional stages in German newspaper studies in the first half of the 20th century. Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1986, p. 91.
18. ^ Hans Amandus Münster: Newspaper Studies and Journalism . Reprint of the Office for Science and Specialized Education of the Reichsstudentenführung (Hrsg.), Leipzig 1938, p. 22; quoted from Sylvia Straetz: The Institute for Newspaper Studies in Leipzig until 1945 . In: Rüdiger vom Bruch / Otto B. Roegele (Hrsg.): From newspaper studies to journalism. Biographical and institutional stages in German newspaper studies in the first half of the 20th century. Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1986, p. 90.
19. ^ Stefanie Averbeck: Communication as a process. Sociological Perspectives in Newspaper Studies 1927–1934 . LIT Verlag, Münster / Hamburg 1999, p. 128.
20. ↑ Stephan Schreder: The newspaper reader. A sociological study with a special focus on the newspaper readership of Vienna . Phil. Diss. Basel 1936.
21. ↑ Hans Münster: The three tasks of German newspaper science . In: Zeitungswissenschaft, 9th year (1934), pp. 53, 126; quoted from Sylvia Straetz: The Institute for Newspaper Studies in Leipzig until 1945 . In: Rüdiger vom Bruch / Otto B. Roegele (Hrsg.): From newspaper studies to journalism. Biographical and institutional stages in German newspaper studies in the first half of the 20th century. Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1986, p. 90.
22. ^ Stefanie Averbeck: Communication as a process. Sociological Perspectives in Newspaper Studies 1927–1934 . LIT Verlag, Münster / Hamburg 1999, p. 132.