Paul Majunke

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Paul Majunke (1842-1899). Photo by an unknown photographer (around 1874)

Paul Majunke (born July 14, 1842 in Groß-Schmograu near Wohlau ; † May 21, 1899 in Hochkirch near Glogau ) was a German Catholic priest, publicist and center-party politician .

Majunke studied from 1861 to 1866 theology and law at the University of Breslau and his doctorate to Dr. theol. in Rome . He then went on trips through Europe. Majunke was ordained a priest in 1867 . He then worked as a chaplain in Neusalz on the Oder and in Breslau. Later he was editor of the Cologne Volkszeitung of Julius Bachem . In 1870 he was fired because his writing style appeared too sharp. Then he was temporarily pastor in Glogau.

Since 1871 he was the first editor-in-chief of the newly founded Germania newspaper . This paper was very close to the Center Party. Under the leadership of Majunke, Germania became one of the leading Catholic daily newspapers. In the Kulturkampf , Majunke wrote numerous sharp articles in defense of the Catholic cause against the Prussian government.

From 1874 to 1884 Majunke was a member of the Center Party in the Reichstag and from 1878 to 1884 a member of the Prussian House of Representatives .

Because of his press articles, Majunke had been sentenced to two years in prison for press misconduct and lese majesty . His actual arrest in 1874 triggered widespread criticism from all political parties for disregarding immunity as a member of parliament. As a result, Otto von Bismarck even wanted to resign. The request was rejected by Kaiser Wilhelm I.

As the Kulturkampf subsided, the Catholic camp also tried to de-escalate. Because Majunkes' uncompromising articles opposed this goal, he lost his leading position in the Germania newspaper. Instead he was editor of the "Centrums-Correspondenz" from 1878 to 1884.

When he was not re-elected in 1884, he became pastor in Hochkirch. He continued to work as an author and now turned sharply against Protestant Prussia. With his intransigence he embarrassed his party at times, but his writings no longer had any noticeable effect.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Fritz Specht, Paul Schwabe: The Reichstag elections from 1867 to 1903. Statistics of the Reichstag elections together with the programs of the parties and a list of the elected representatives. 2nd Edition. Carl Heymann Verlag, Berlin 1904, p. 178.
  2. ↑ A. Phillips (ed.): The Reichstag elections from 1867 to 1883. Statistics of the elections for the constituent and North German Reichstag, for the customs parliament, and for the first five legislative periods of the German Reichstag. Publishing house Louis Gerschel, Berlin 1883, p. 111.
  3. ^ Mann, Bernhard (edit.): Biographical manual for the Prussian House of Representatives. 1867-1918. Collaboration with Martin Doerry , Cornelia Rauh and Thomas Kühne . Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag, 1988, p. 260 (handbooks on the history of parliamentarism and political parties: vol. 3); for the election results see Thomas Kühne: Handbook of elections to the Prussian House of Representatives 1867–1918. Election results, election alliances and election candidates (= handbooks on the history of parliamentarism and political parties. Volume 6). Droste, Düsseldorf 1994, ISBN 3-7700-5182-3 , pp. 745-747.

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personal data
SURNAME Majunke, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German priest, editor and politician (center), MdR
DATE OF BIRTH July 14, 1842
PLACE OF BIRTH Large Schmogrey
DATE OF DEATH May 21, 1899
Place of death Hochkirch