Object Title

Rheinischer Merkur

Original Format

Newspaper

Language

eng

Description

The Rheinischer Merkur was a German newspaper published by Josef Görres every two days between 1814 and 1816. It was the most popular and wide-spread German publication during these years, stimulating intellectual debate among the middle classes across continental Europe.

The RM introduced a journalistic novelty, the Leitartikel, a longer piece of reading covering the first few pages of the paper that often scrutinised current news and developments and shaped public opinion by aiming to provide balanced and truthful reporting. Content includes increasingly pro-Prussian tracts against Metternich’s restorative tactics at the congress of Vienna. It sketches out demands for a German union under a constitution with an army, a common foreign policy and tax system, and justice and trade under a dynastic, Catholic ruler reinstating the estates destroyed by the French. As these demands were not met during the Congress nor in its treatise, Görres became increasingly subversive and anti-Prussian as he saw that promises of a constitution would fail to be met by 1815.

The newspaper, ultimately, was banned by the King in early 1816 with grave consequences for Görres’ status within the Prussian officialdom and among the Prussian government.

Contributor

Isabelle Riepe

Spatial Coverage

Germany

Koblenz

Temporal Coverage

1814-1816

Date

1814/1816

Bibliographic Citation

Monika Fink-Lang, Joseph Görres – Die Biographie, (Ferdinand Schöningh, 2013)

Object Title

Rheinischer Merkur

Subject

journalism

nationalism

people

practices