Joseph Maria Baernreither

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Joseph Maria Baernreither (born April 12, 1845 in Prague , † September 19, 1925 in Teplitz-Schönau ) was an Austrian politician, member of the House of Representatives and the mansion of the Vienna Imperial Council , Minister of Commerce (1898 and 1907), and 1916–1917 Minister without Portfolio in the Clam-Martinic cabinet .

Joseph Maria Baernreither

Life

Baernreither was the son of the wealthy Viennese landowner and industrialist Joseph Baernreither, who owned businesses in Bohemia and Galicia , and his wife Josefa Antonie nee Stelz. Joseph Maria Baernreither graduated from the Lesser Town Gymnasium in Prague in 1863 with honors and studied in Heidelberg and Prague jurisprudence . In 1866 he became a member of the Corps Guestphalia Heidelberg . Baernreither was promoted to Dr. iur. PhD . Afterwards he was provisional court adjunct (court trainee) and judge in Prague and Reichenberg from 1871 to 1875 , then Ministerial Vice Director in the Ministry of Justice.

Since 1878 Baernreither represented as a deputy in the Prague parliament the Bohemian landowners from 1885 in the Imperial Parliament for the district Eger which he co-founded Party of the Constitution faithful landlordism .

Baernreither always felt obliged to a liberal and social reforming policy and also wanted to “lead Austria out of the era of Manchester liberalism”. In the liberal era of Prime Minister Eduard Taaffe , he gained a high reputation in the Reichsrat through numerous social liberal speeches and motions. He soon played an important role in parliament within the United German Left and was instrumental in reforming the Austrian judicial process. From March 7 to October 3, 1898, he was brief trade minister in the Thun-Hohenstein government .

The deep political differences with the German nationals of his Bohemian homeland, some of whom called him a “traitor” and “intriguer”, made Baernreither a hated opponent of the right-wing camp. Despite all efforts, Baernreither failed to be re-elected to the House of Representatives in the first general election in Cisleithanien in 1907. A little later, however, he was able to continue his parliamentary work, which was so important to him, in the manor house , where he joined the left wing loyal to the constitution . During this time, child protection , the Bohemian settlement negotiations (language dispute) and the South Slav question were the focus of his policy.

Before the First World War, Baernreither was an opponent of the "war party" and their wish for Serbia's trialist affiliation . The war party, the proponents of armed conflict with Serbia, included the most important exponents of the entire monarchy, such as Prime Minister Karl Stürgkh , Chief of Staff Conrad von Hötzendorf , Finance Minister Leon von Biliński and War Minister Alexander von Krobatin . Baernreither warned of the war party's plan to annex Serbia, because a democratic people, accustomed to their independence, without aristocracy and landowners, with a state of revolutionary origin in need of expansion, could not be forced into old Austria as a Reichstag delegation. He was also opposed to the Stürgkh government's total suspension of the constitution.

In the Clam-Martinic government , Baernreither was finally minister without portfolio from December 20, 1916 to June 23, 1917, particularly active in the field of social welfare. He was given the task of founding a ministry for public health and social issues and worked out the basics of child welfare with independent youth welfare offices . In his short term of office he did essential preparatory work for the future development of the Austrian welfare state .

After his death on September 19, 1925, he was buried in the family vault at the Wolschaner cemetery in Prague. His written estate went to the Vienna House, Court and State Archives , now part of the Austrian State Archives .

Central Europe

As chairman of the Central European Economic Association and then of the Working Committee for Central Europe , Baernreither represented Friedrich Naumann's Central Europe concept , which aimed to bring the two empires closer together politically and economically.

In the summer of 1915, Baernreither circulated a confidential memorandum on the economic and political relationship between Austria-Hungary and Germany among a group of selected politicians and economic experts from the monarchy and Germany. In it the author represented the need for a close economic alliance with the aim of increasing and securing Austria-Hungary's economic power . Baernreither counted on the natural connection of neighboring states.

“Through these expanded limits of economic understanding, through the great land bridge to the Orient and a strong maritime position in the northern and southeastern seas of Europe, an economic bloc could be created that would not only cope with the great world powers in every respect, but also with the peoples of Central Europe a cultural development based on prosperity and free development of forces would guarantee. "

The conclusion of a temporary bilateral agreement on economic cooperation will prevent the small European states from standing in isolation from the three world powers - the British Empire , Russia and the United States .

In November 1915, Baernreither discussed his memorandum in Berlin , including on November 9 with the German Foreign Minister Gottlieb von Jagow , who, however, expressed his concerns above all on the question of the integration of Poland into the Habsburg monarchy. Austria will not be able to keep ( digest ) Poland under control : in whatever form the affiliation takes place, the influence of Germans in Austria is always weakened and reduced . The State Secretary for Finance Karl Helfferich and Jagow's deputy Arthur Zimmermann largely agreed to the memorandum.

Baernreither's enthusiasm for Central Europe declined sharply later, because he increasingly considered the concept to be incompatible with Habsburg sovereignty. For the German-Austrian supporters from the liberal camp and even for the German Nationals, Central Europe was not a plan at the expense of the Danube monarchy , but one in favor of Germany. One wanted to strengthen the monarchy by leaning on Germany, not weaken it. Only more realistic observers like Baernreither saw the problem of the split loyalty among Austria's Germans. He realized that Central Europe would be a greater danger for Austria-Hungary than the political and economic problems that it hoped to solve.

Fonts (selection)

  • Josef Redlich (ed.): Fragments of a political diary. The South Slav Question and Austria-Hungary before the World War . Publishing house for cultural policy, Berlin 1928.
  • Oskar Mitis (ed.): The decline of the Habsburg Empire and the Germans. Fragments of a political diary 1897-1917 . Verlag Holzhausen, Vienna 1939.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Masaki Miyake: JM Baernreither and "Central Europe". A study of the Baernreither estate . In: Communications from the Austrian State Archives . 17/18 (1964/65), pp. 359-398, here: p. 359.
  2. ↑ Kösener Corpslisten 1960, 64/675
  3. ↑ Harald Bachmann: Joseph Maria Baernreither 1845–1925. The career of an old Austrian minister and social politician . Verlag Schmidt, Neustadt an der Aisch 1977, ISBN 3-87707-014-0 , p. 15; and Oskar Mitis (ed.), Josef Maria Baernreither: The decline of the Habsburg Empire and the Germans. Fragments of a political diary 1897-1917. Verlag Holzhausen, Vienna 1939, p. Xi.
  4. ↑ Brigitte Pellar: "Labor Statistics" - social administration and social policy in the last two decades of the Habsburg monarchy. The Labor Statistics Office in the Imperial and Royal Ministry of Commerce and its "permanent work council". Gerald Stourzh, Margarete Grandner (ed.): Historical roots of social partnership. Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-7028-0242-8 , p. 155.
  5. ↑ Harald Bachmann: Joseph Maria Baernreither 1845–1925. The career of an old Austrian minister and social politician. Verlag Schmidt, Neustadt an der Aisch 1977, ISBN 3-87707-014-0 , pp. 15 and 28.
  6. ↑ Short biography of the Austrian State Archives
  7. ↑ a b Joseph Maria Baernreither. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 1, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1957, p. 43.
  8. ↑ Ernst Rutkowski (ed.): The constitution-loyal large estate 1900-1904. Letters and documents on the history of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. With special consideration of the Bohemian-Moravian area. Volume 2, Verlag Oldenbourg, Munich 1991, ISBN 3-486-52611-1 , p. 30.
  9. ↑ Masaki Miyake: JM Baernreither and "Central Europe". A study of the Baernreither estate . In: Communications from the Austrian State Archives . 17/18 (1964/65), pp. 359-398, here: p. 363.
  10. ↑ William Jannen, Jr: The Austro-Hungarian Decision For War in July 1914 . In: Samuel R. Williamson, Jr, Peter Pastor (Eds.): Essays On World War I: Origins and Prisoners of War . New York 1983, pp. 55-81, here: 56f.
  11. ↑ Masaki Miyake: JM Baernreither and "Central Europe". A study of the Baernreither estate . In: Communications from the Austrian State Archives . 17/18 (1964/65), pp. 359-398, here: pp. 363f.
  12. ↑ Gerald Stourzh, Margarete Grandner (ed.): Historical roots of social partnership . Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-7028-0242-8 , pp. 176f.
  13. ^ Oskar Mitis (ed.), Josef Maria Baernreither: The decline of the Habsburg Empire and the Germans. Fragments of a political diary 1897-1917 . Verlag Holzhausen, Vienna 1939, p. Xiii.
  14. ^ Henry Cord Meyer: Central Europe in German Thought and Action 1815-1945 . The Hague 1955, pp. 160ff.
  15. ↑ Masaki Miyake: JM Baernreither and "Central Europe". A study of the Baernreither estate . In: Communications from the Austrian State Archives . 17/18 (1964/65), pp. 359-398, here: pp. 368f. And Fritz Fellner: Memoranda from Austria. The Austrian Central Europe Discussion in Science and Politics 1915/16 . In: Emil Brix, Thomas Fröschl, Josef Leidenfrost (Hrsg.): History between freedom and order. Gerhard Stourzh on his 60th birthday . Verlag Böhlau, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1991, ISBN 3-222-11870-1 , pp. 145–162, here: pp. 155f.
  16. ↑ Masaki Miyake: JM Baernreither and "Central Europe". A study of the Baernreither estate . In: Communications from the Austrian State Archives . 17/18 (1964/65), pp. 359–398, here: pp. 380–381 and Fritz Fellner: Denkschriften aus Österreich. The Austrian Central Europe Discussion in Science and Politics 1915/16 . In: Emil Brix, Thomas Fröschl, Josef Leidenfrost (Hrsg.): History between freedom and order. Gerhard Stourzh on his 60th birthday . Verlag Böhlau, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1991, ISBN 3-222-11870-1 , pp. 145–162, here: p. 156.
  17. ^ Richard W. Kapp: Divided Loyalities. The German Reich and Austria-Hungary in Austro-German Discussions of War Aims, 1914–1916 . In: Central European History 17 (1984), pp. 120-139, here: pp. 132 and 139.

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personal data
SURNAME Baernreither, Joseph Maria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bärnreither, Joseph Maria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 12, 1845
PLACE OF BIRTH Prague
DATE OF DEATH September 19, 1925
Place of death Teplitz-Schönau