Mirko Rachowitch

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Title page by [Mirko] Raschowitsch: Friede. RG Zbinden, Basel 1916.

Mirko Rachowitch (* 1889 in Montenegro ; † January 14, 1961 in Chêne-Bougeries ; last name also Raschvitch , Rachovitch , Raschovitch , Raschowitsch , presumably originally: Rašović ) was a Montenegrin doctor , (lay) writer , author of political letters and manifestos as well Pacifist .

Life

Mirko Rachowitch's curriculum vitae can only be reconstructed in fragments due to the lack of rich sources. According to his own statements, he was born in 1889 in the old Principality of Montenegro under Nikola I. Petrović Njegoš . His family situation remains largely in the dark, only one brother is mentioned in his estate. Before emigrating , he probably took part in the Balkan Wars in the independence struggle of his native Montenegro in 1912/13 together with his father Sirdar Risto Rachovitch, who had already fought in the Russo-Ottoman War . In this he already practiced in Yugoslav prison camps in the medical field.

Rachowitch completed his medical studies at the Universities of Basel , Geneva and Bern . He enrolled in Basel for the first time on April 29, 1912, but left the university on May 13, 1913. On October 15, 1913, he re-enrolled at the University of Basel , only to leave it on January 3, 1919. In 1918 he received his doctorate from Robert Bing with the text The war neurological significance of the collateral connections between the nerve trunks of the upper extremity . On October 28, 1921, he enrolled again in Basel and stayed until the winter semester of 1923/1924.

In addition to his actual studies, Rachowitch was involved during his time at the University of Basel in the so-called Student International, which he co-founded, a student association that pursued pacifist goals during the First World War . In the course of his pacifist engagement at the university, he created the Peace Manifesto and the open letter “For life not for murder”, which several fellow Basel students signed.

After completing his studies, Rachowitch practiced as a doctor . In 1934 he did his doctorate again at the University of Lausanne with Louis Michaud. Furthermore, he was concerned with ideas about world peace and pacifism, which he recorded in letters to persons from politics and public life, for example to Edvard Beneš or the then already former Montenegrin King Nikola I. Petrović Njegoš . In addition, he continued to write essays and open letters to the League of Nations or Moscow and tried to spread his writings.

His literary work, which has only survived in his estate , consists of a four-volume drama manuscript «Mephistopheles. Dialogue between East and West ”, in which Rachowitch, under the alias “ Unknown ”, addresses issues of near world events from the interwar period and the period of the Second World War. The main character Slobodan Slobodanowitsch , accompanied by Mephisto , meets figures from contemporary history such as Stalin , Hitler and Mussolini .

Rachowitch wrote in German , French and English , the spelling of his surname he varied depending on the time and place, as the transcription from the Montenegrin is not clear.

His estate with his writings came to the Basel University Library in 1983 .

Rector's register of the University of Basel , entry by Mirko Rachowitch (April 29, 1912).

Ideas World

The core of Rachowitch's world of ideas are the themes of peace and pacifism. In his manifestos he often addressed the grievances using the example of recent events and presented his approaches to solving them. For Rachowitch, it was not armistice or diplomacy that provided the basis for sustainable peace, but peace education that could only be achieved through an internationally networked student body. The emancipation of women also plays a decisive role in a lasting peace.

Rachowitch was extremely fond of the League of Nations, and his legacy also contains approaches to the ideas of a European Union in the sense of the pan-European idea of ​​the time. In general, he criticized militarism , which he equated with Prussianism in the late 1930s. Accordingly, he saw in the two figures of fascism , Hitler and Mussolini, but also in Stalin, dangers for world peace.

Rachowitch remained closely connected to the fate of his homeland. He always commented on the historical events around Montenegro with a critical eye. He was very inclined to the abdicated King Nikola I, and commented extremely critically on Austria's intervention with "Back Austria!" and he openly criticized the international political ambitions of the Croatian politician Radić as lack of principles and domination to the detriment of the surrounding Southeast European states. In general, a free Balkans and a free Montenegro were important to him.

Works

Publications

  • [Mirko] Raschowitsch: Peace . RG Zbinden, Basel 1916.
  • [Mirko] Rachovitch: The war neurological significance of the collateral connections between the nerve trunks of the upper extremity . RG Zbinden, Basel 1918.
  • [Mirko] Rachovitch: La Société des Nations et les Problèmes Mondiaux . Tribune de Genève, Geneva 1927.
  • Mirko Rachovitch: Contribution à l'Étude de la Paralysie périodique ou paroxystique . Tribune de Genève, Geneva 1934.
  • [Mirko] Rachovitch: Manifestos of the Serb XXe Siècle. "Liberté ou Mort!" Tribune de Genève, Geneva 1945.

Literary works

  • «Mephistopheles I. Dialogue between East and West in between two world wars, German drama, Hitler play, European theater; Welt-Tragedie: dictatorships, armaments and war again »(manuscript).
  • "Mephistopheles II. Dialogue between East and West: - Will to power - War without declaration of war - Assault!" (Manuscript).
  • «Mephistopheles III. Dialogue between East and West after the Second World War, armistice, feverish armaments and peace - conjure up? » (Manuscript).
  • "Mephistopheles IV. Dialogue between East and West - War and Peace - Mephistopheles Play: German Drama, European Theather Welttragedie Armor - Science and Faith" (manuscript).
  • [Conversation between M and U] (manuscript).
  • "What do I live for?" Vienna, 1922 (manuscript).

Essays and manifestos

  • "For life not for murder". Basel, January 28, 1915 (manuscript).
  • «To Geneva or Moscow». Bern, September 7, 1924 (manuscript).
  • «Velker-Bund § World Problems: Demarcation, Women's Question and 'Le mariage - merical'» (manuscript).
  • «The faithful watch!», In Skadar-Skutari, April 1913 (manuscript).
  • «Les Balkans aux Balkanikes». Geneva, December 8, 1925 (German and French) (manuscript).
  • "SHS" Bern, March 25, 1925 (manuscript).
  • «At the king of Monténégro. Nikola I. Petrovicht-Negos ». February 1916 (manuscript).
  • «I love my home ...» (manuscript).

Letters

  • Letter to Tadesse Machacha in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia , Bern, August 13, 1935 (manuscript).
  • Letter to Édouard Helsey (Journal de Paris), Geneva, March 2, 1938 (manuscript).
  • Letter to Edvard Beneš , Geneva, November 1, 1939 (manuscript).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ When he was enrolled in Basel in 1912, he gave “Moratscha, Monten [e] gro” as his home town: Basel University Library, Sign. AN II 5c (Rector's register of the University of Basel, Volume 7, 1900–1930) , Bl. 66v (No. 136).
  2. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. C 2 (obituary).
  3. ↑ To him and his mother he dedicated his Lausanne dissertation, Contribution à l'Étude de la Paralysie périodique ou paroxystique , published in 1934 (Tribune de Genève, Geneva 1934).
  4. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. B 10.
  5. ↑ a b Basel University Library, Sign. AN II 5c (Rector's register of the University of Basel, Volume 7, 1900–1930) , Bl. 66v, 74v and 132r.
  6. ↑ In the (published) personnel directory of the University of Basel , Rachowitch is listed for all semesters (summer semester 1912 to winter semester 1918/19), with the (changing) address in each case, except for the summer semester 1913.
  7. ↑ [Mirko] Rachovitch: The war neurological significance of the collateral connections between the nerve trunks of the upper extremity. RG Zbinden, Basel 1918.
  8. ^ Felix Georgi : Robert Bing 1878-1956. In: Swiss Archive for Neurology and Psychiatry . Vol. 79 (1957), pp. 138-154, here: p. 146.
  9. ↑ According to the personnel directory of the University of Basel again in the medical faculty (winter semester 1921/22 to winter semester 1923/24).
  10. ^ Mirko Raschowitsch: Friede , RG Zbinden, Basel 1916.
  11. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. B 2.
  12. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. B 11.
  13. ^ Mirko Rachovitch: Contribution à l'Étude de la Paralysie périodique ou paroxystique . Tribune de Genève, Geneva 1934.
  14. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. A 4.
  15. ↑ See the handwritten dedication to an editor friend of his in the copy of his work La Société des Nations et les Problèmes Mondiaux (Tribune de Genève, Geneva 1927), which is now in the holdings of the Basel University Library ( Sign. Pol Cv 3: 167 ) .
  16. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. A 1a.
  17. ^ Report on the administration of the public library of the University of Basel in 1983. P. 7 ( digitized version ) or 1984, P. 7 f. [a supplement] ( digitized version ).
  18. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. B 4.
  19. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. B 10.
  20. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign.B 3.
  21. ↑ Basel University Library, NL 220 (Mirko Rachowitch estate), Sign. B 1.
personal data
SURNAME Rachowitch, Mirko
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Raschvitch, Mirko; Rašović, Mirko; Raschovitch, Mirko; Raschowitsch, Mirko
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Montenegrin doctor in Switzerland, lay writer, pacifist
DATE OF BIRTH 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Montenegro
DATE OF DEATH January 14, 1961
Place of death Basel