Johann Jacoby
Encyclopedia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Jewish politician.
Biography
The son of a merchant, Jacoby studied medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and in 1830 started practicing in his native city, but soon became involved in political activities in a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
interest, which involved him in prosecutions and made him well-known throughout Germany.
His first published brochures called for Emancipation of the Jews. Unlike some other contemporary writers on that subject, he vehemently held that granting equal right to Jews was not a special favor, but their natural right as human beings.
In later writings he called for reform of the medical services in Prussia, attacked the judicial system which he considered oppressive as well as the state censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
, and upheld "The Right of the Prussian People for a Constitution". These writings got him prosecuted on charges of Lèse majesté
Lèse majesté
Lese-majesty is the crime of violating majesty, an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.This behavior was first classified as a criminal offence against the dignity of the Roman republic in Ancient Rome...
, but he was eventually acquitted.
His reputation as a man of fearless honesty was greatly enhanced during the revolutionary upheaval of 1848-1849
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
. He was a delegate in both the Prussian National assembly
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
and the All-German Frankfurt Parliament
Frankfurt Parliament
The Frankfurt Assembly was the first freely elected parliament for all of Germany. Session was held from May 18, 1848 to May 31, 1849 in the Paulskirche at Frankfurt am Main...
, and was reckoned among the conspicuous leaders of the Left in both of them.
A particular event connected with his name was when King Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
refused to listen to the criticism made by deputies of the Prussian National assembly
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
during an audience in 1848. Jacoby, one of the deputies (some accounts described him as leader of the delegation) had the courage to say to the King: It is the misfortune of Kings that they will not listen to the truth!, a saying which got widely published and soon made him very popular in the public.
After the Frankfurt Parliament was dissolved and its members driven out of Frankfurt, Jacoby was among the most radical members, who fled to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and these set up a rump parliament
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
with the aim of proclaiming a German republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
- considered at the time a highly revolutionary idea. After this body was dissolved by the Württemberg military, Jacoby was prosecuted again for his membership in it, but was acquitted.
Later, Jacoby distinguished himself as an outspoken opponent of Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
. As a member of the Prussian Legislature he was in the radical left of the German Progress Party
German Progress Party
The German Progress Party was the first modern political party with a program in Germany, founded by the liberal members of the Prussian Lower House in 6 June, 1861....
. In 1864 he delivered, in the presence of the King, a strong anti-Bismarck speech calling for tax refusal. For that, he was prosecuted and served six months behind bars.
Unlike other German Liberals, whose attitude to the "Iron Chancellor" mollsfied after Bismarck's success in achieving the Unification of Germany
Unification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
, Jacoby remained steadfast in opposing Bismarck's warlike policies and was especially conspicuous in protesting against the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, for which he was again imprisoned.
After the creation of new German Second Reich he joined the German Social Democratic Party. In 1874, three years before his death, he was elected on its behalf to the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
but demonstratively refused to take his seat as an act of political protest.
Jacoby was also involved in internal Jewish affairs. Among other things, in 1838 he had been a member of a commission appointed by the Königsberg Jewish Community to look into reforms in public worship at the synagogue. However, his reputation is mainly as a Prussian and German political activist dealing with general German political and social issues.
Jacoby on Direct Democracy
Jacoby's contribution to direct democracy are not well documented but several sources can be found. In general he had a positive view on direct democracy e.g. in his speeches (Gesammelten Reden und Schriften von 1872):- According to his view, final decisions must be made by the whole sovereign/population (Bd. 2, S. 25)
- Citizens have a right to participate decisively in every aspect of lawmaking (Bd. 2, S. 56)
- He wanted: selfgovernment, participation on all public affairs, generall and direct participation in lawmaking and government by the people (May, 28th 1868, Bd. 2, Sl 336-339)
- citizens are sovereign if the law and administration depends on the direct approval and decision (June, 17th 1868, Bd. 2, S. 340-342)
- selfgovernment ist not the discussion on each phrase of a law and it's formulation but the right to adopt or repeal or revise a law! (Bd. 2, S. 341)
Literature in German
- Adam, R.: Johann Jacobys politischer Werdegang. see: Historische Zeitschrift 143, 1931.
- Engelmann, Bernt: Die Freiheit. Das Recht. Johann Jacoby und die Anfänge unserer Demokratie. Goldmann München 1987
- ders. *Johann Jacoby. Ein Radikaler im öffentlichen Dienst. see: Barmer, Wilfried (Hrsg.): Literatur in der Demokratie. Für Walter Jens zum 60. Geburtstag, München 1983, S. 345-354).
- Hamburger, Ernst: Tübingen, 1968.
- Helms, Hans G.: Johann Jacoby - ein liberaler Politiker des Vormärz in der Bismarck-Ära. see: Zeitschrift für Marxistische Erneuerung. Vierteljahresschrift. Forum Marxistische Erneuerung e. V. (FFM), IMSF e. V. (Hrsg.), Heft 35, S. 97-109, 1998.
- Matull, Wilhelm: Johann Jacoby und Eduard von Simson. Ein Vergleich. see: Jahrbuch der Albertus-Universität zu Königsberg/Pr., von Hoffmann, Friedrich/ Selle, Götz von. Bd. 21, 1971, S. 18-35)
- Mayer, Dr. Gustaf, Die Anfänge des politischen Radikalismus im vormärzlichen Preußen. see: Zeitschrift für Politik (1913), Bd. 6, Berlin, S. 1-91.
- Silberner, Edmund: Johann Jacoby. Politiker und Mensch. Bonn-Bad Godesberg: Neue Gesellschaft 1976
- Weber, Rolf: Johann Jacoby - Eine Biographie. Köln, 1988.