Hermann (magazine)
| Hermann.
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|---|---|
| description | Magazine by and for Westphalia or the land between Weser and Maaß |
| language | German |
| First edition | February 1, 1814 |
| attitude | 1835 |
| Frequency of publication | 2 times a week |
| Sold edition | 1000 copies |
| (Bergisch and Brandenburg part of Westphalia) | |
| editor | Wilhelm Aschenberg (until 1819) |
Hermann. A magazine by and for Westphalia or the land between the Weser and Maass was a 1814 to 1819 in Hagen appearing periodical . After interruptions the paper was published from 1823 to 1835 in Schwelm and later in Barmen .
Emergence
The creation and naming of the sheet after the Cheruscan prince Arminius had to do with the patriotic enthusiasm and pro-Prussian attitude in the county of Mark triggered by the liberation wars of 1813 . This was in contrast to the formerly spiritual parts of Westphalia. Incidentally, the collapse of Napoleonic rule initially relaxed press censorship, so that a relatively free press could emerge for a few years. The magazine Hermann was initially supported by the Prussian authorities and was therefore initially completely exempt from censorship.
The founder of Hermann and temporarily sole editor was Wilhelm Aschenberg . This was a Lutheran pastor and consistorial councilor. This critic of the Napoleonic system combined a strong Prussian patriotism with national German ideas. Co-editor between 1815 and 1818 was Dr. Philipp Anton Storck, the director of the local community and business school. The close editorial team also included the doctor and district physician Friedrich Degenhard Kersig and the landowner Friedrich von Hövel .
Nationally known authors such as Ludwig Natorp and Ernst Moritz Arndt , but also Friedrich Harkort , Gerhard Siebel and Johann Friedrich Joseph Sommer wrote for the paper . Apart from the foreigners, the paper was an organ of the regional educated middle class, the economic middle class and parts of the nobility. There was strong overlap in terms of personnel with the Literary Society founded at the same time in Grafschaft Mark .
The first edition appeared on February 1, 1814. The edition was around 1000 copies and the magazine was mainly distributed in the Bergisch and Märkischen parts of Westphalia, but was also read in other parts of the province. It was not one of the largest contemporary papers, but it was larger than the influential German observer in Hamburg, who only had a circulation of no more than 700 copies. It should also be noted that the readership was significantly larger than the number of subscribers.
The paper appeared twice a week until 1819. Initially, it comprised only four pages printed in two columns. The number of pages has doubled since 1815, mainly due to various supplements. As was still common at the time, numerous contributions were anonymous, unsolicited and therefore not paid for, only provided with a pseudonym or abbreviation.
In terms of content, numerous areas including natural science were covered. Regional historical contributions played an important role. In religious terms, the Protestant element dominated, although Catholics also published in the paper. Among other things, there was controversy about maintaining the emancipation of Jews . Scientific and technological innovations were reported in detail. There were also contributions to social and economic policy. The regional entrepreneurs, who were threatened by the English competition, used the paper to advocate the introduction of protective tariffs . The immediate events of the time played an important role. In 1817 the famine was the focus. The usury, but also the helplessness of the state, was criticized, but there were also reports of privately organized aid campaigns.
Constitutional debate
The beginning of the national movement played a role in the magazine, but there was a lack of nationalistic and anti-French exaggerations. At the beginning, the German Confederation was expected to "unite all German speakers in one state body" on a constitutional basis. The focus was not so much on the restoration of the old, but on a reorganization of political life. For the authors, however, the constitutional debate in Prussia was more important . The majority of the contributions pursued very moderately liberal views. Overall, however, all of the constitutional ideas that were relevant at the time were discussed in Hermann. For most writers, a constitutional monarchy was the ideal. This should be combined with civic equality, political freedom and, in particular, freedom of expression. For most of the contributions, the role of the representative body remained limited. It is noteworthy that most of the authors from the formerly non-Prussian areas also initially placed their hopes in Prussia.
Under the pseudonym "Götz vom Rheine", the entrepreneur Johann Gerhard Siebel formulated one of the most far-reaching demands in 1818: "Fixed constitution, from which emerge: representation of the people, equality before the law, equal taxes and burdens, public [court] proceedings, State power, separation of powers, free budget of the communities ..., freedom of the press under the responsibility of the author, abolition of all remnants of feudalism! - That's what we want! "
The aristocratic counter-position was represented by Friedrich Freiherr von Hövel. His aim was to continue the old aristocratic leadership role without completely denying the changes since the French Revolution . For him, the estates should serve to limit the power of the central administration. He was ready to accept the participation of the bourgeoisie and peasants.
Prohibition
It is true that in the past few years critical voices towards state practice and organization have also increased in the newspaper. Overall, however, the paper took extremely moderate positions. It also received initial support from the authorities. This began to change quickly.
From 1817 onwards, Hermann’s articles met with increasing criticism from the Prussian central authorities in Berlin. In particular, the articles that opposed undesirable developments in the local administrations were no longer welcome in the course of the restoration policy, despite earlier encouragement. This worsened with the Karlsbad resolutions of 1819. On September 10, 1819, a critical report appeared in Hermann about the incipient persecution of demagogues . A short time later the paper was banned. Although Hermann appeared between 1823 and 1835, first in Schwelm and then again in Barmen, it no longer played a political role.
literature
- Wilhelm Ribhegge: Prussia in the West. Struggle for parliamentarism in Rhineland and Westphalia. Münster, 2008 (special edition for the State Center for Civic Education North Rhine-Westphalia) p. 64 f.