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Front page of Die Aktion from October 1914 with a portrait of Charles Péguy by Egon Schiele
Front page of Die Aktion from October 1914 with a portrait of Charles Péguy by Egon Schiele

Die Aktion ("The Action") was a German literary and political magazine, edited by Franz Pfemfert and published between 1911 and 1932 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf; it promoted literary Expressionism and stood for undogmatic left-wing policies. Charles Péguy ( January 7, 1873 - September 5, 1914) was a noted French Poet, Essayist and editor. Egon Schiele (12 June 1890 &ndash 31 October 1918 (ˈʃiːlə approximately SHEE-luh was an Austrian painter, a protégé of Gustav Klimt, and a Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A literary magazine is a Periodical devoted to Literature in a broad sense Wilmersdorf is a Inner city locality of Berlin, formerly a borough by itself but since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform a part of the new borough Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form To begin with, Die Aktion was published weekly, after 1919 every two weeks, and only sporadically beginning from 1926.

In 1981, Die Aktion was resumed by the Edition Nautilus publishing house. Issues appear on a non-regulatory basis.

Contents

Beginnings

Before starting Die Aktion, Pfemfert, beginning in 1904, had been editor of the anarchist magazine Der Kampf, edited by Senna Hoy. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i While there, he came into contact with many modern writers and artists, as well as with political opposition groups. One of his early collaborators was Herwarth Walden, future editor of Der Sturm. Herwarth Walden (actual name Georg Lewin, born September 16, 1879, in Berlin; died October 31, 1941, in Saratov Der Sturm (The Storm was a magazine of Expressionism founded in Berlin in 1910 by Herwarth Walden.

After leaving his position at Der Kampf, Pfemfert worked for the magazines Das Blaubuch and Demokrat (becoming the latter's co-editor in 1910). In the radical left-wing Demokrat magazine, which he co-edited with Freethinker Georg Zepler (1859-1925), he published texts by numerous writers who would later become contributors to Die Aktion. Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that Beliefs should be formed on the basis of Science and Logic and should not be influenced In early 1911, the partnership with Zepler came to an end when the latter, without consulting Pfemfert, excluded an article by Kurt Hiller from the list of scheduled contributions. Kurt Hiller also known as Keith Lurr and Klirr (Thule ( 17 August 1885, Berlin - 1 October 1972, Hamburg Consequently, Pfemfert decided that he needed his own magazine.

History

1911-1914: Expressionism and Internationalism

The first issue of Aktion was published on February 2, 1911, with the subheading Magazine for liberal politics and literature, later to be changed to Weekly periodical for politics, literature and art in 1912. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Social liberalism, also called new liberalism (as it was originally termed high liberalism radical liberalism, modern liberalism, or

Through his contact with Hiller and Hiller's friends in Der Neue Club, who organized evenings of readings with Expressionist artists under the heading "neo-dramatic club", Die Aktion quickly became the leading medium of the new movement. Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form As Pfemfert succeeded in making many writers famous over short periods of time, and formed relations with such publishing houses as Ernst Rowohlt and Samuel Fischer, he received a steady influx of quality contributions (despite the fact that he would not pay any royalties to the writers). Ernst R Rowohlt (23 June 1887 in Bremen – 1 December 1960 in Hamburg) was a German publisher who founded the Rowohlt publishing house in 1908 and headed Samuel Fischer, later Samuel von Fischer ( December 24, 1859, Liptau-Sankt-Nikolaus/Liptószentmiklós (now Liptovský Mikuláš) Liptau/ Royalties (sometimes running royalties) are usage-based payments made by one party (the "licensee" to another (the "licensor" for ongoing use of an

From 1913, several special issues were published which were devoted to poetry, including one issue which was devoted solely to the works of Georg Heym (who had died young in January 1912). Georg Heym ( 30 October 1887 &ndash 16 January[[ 912]] was a German writer After 1914, the rate of artwork increased — the period is noted for its especially expressive woodcuts published. For the origins of the technique and non-artistic use see Woodblock printing; for the related technique invented in the 18th century see Wood engraving

In the first issue, Pfemfert outlined the aim of Die Aktion as follows:

"Die Aktion speaks up for the ideas of the large German left-wing parties, without attaching itself to any particular political party. Die Aktion wants to encourage the impressive thoughts of an ‘Organizing of intelligence’, and to help recapture the brilliance of the long frowned-upon words ‘cultural war’. In the areas of art and literature, Die Aktion is looking to create a counterbalance between the sorry habits of the pseudo-liberal press to simply value new movements from a business standpoint to hush them up. "[1]

Until 1914, Pfemfer tried to exercise influence over the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) with Die Aktion, attempting to support left-wing revolutionaries and anarchist trends within the party. Pfemfert criticized what he saw as mainstream SPD chauvinism and opportunism in his editorials, and demanded the party rethink the issue of labor movement in internationalist terms. Chauvinism (ˈʃoʊvɨnɪzəm is extreme and unreasoning Partisanship on behalf of a group to which one belongs especially when the partisanship includes malice and hatred Opportunism is a term used in Politics and Political science. International Socialism redirects here For the journal of the same name see International Socialism (journal Proletarian internationalism is a Pfemfert also used the magazine in campaigns such as the freeing of Austrian sex psychologist Otto Gross, who had been arrested and committed by his own father. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Otto Gross (1877–1920 was an Austrian Psychoanalyst. A maverick early disciple of Sigmund Freud, he later became an Anarchist and joined the utopian

1914-1918: Artistic opposition during the war

Even in 1914, before the outbreak of World War I, Die Aktion had been closed down for the first time (as was so often the case in the Imperial German age). World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The magazine was closed down under the pretext that it was a fringe magazine that had published morally objectionable texts. The outbreak of war in 1914 worsened the situation even further, with even stricter censorship. Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor

Pfemfert therefore decided to immediately publish only those contributions that were purely literary in nature, in order to avoid a complete ban of the magazine. He succeeded against the odds, as Die Aktion never actually stopped the flow of anti-war messages (including virulent articles that had already been featured other magazines, such as "I Cut Time", and a column of letters to the editor which allowed sharp criticism of artists and intellectuals who were supporting the war). Pfemfert also continued to published literary articles with veiled Antimilitaristic themes, such as poems from the front (including works by Oskar Kanehl and Wilhelm Klemm, who painted a stark picture of trench warfare). Antimilitarism is a doctrine commonly found in the Anarchist and more globally in the Socialist movement which may be both characterized as Internationalist Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static Moreover, several issues were entirely dedicated to literature from "enemy countries". The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I.

1918-1925: Weekly periodical for revolutionary socialism

Declaring himself disappointed with Expressionism, Pfemfert abandoned his advocacy of the movement (arguing that many writers had become too saturated, and that they only interested in contracts with large publishing houses — which he understood as a betrayal). He felt that the once rebellious phase of expressionism was finally over, and, in reaction, only published political texts in Die Aktion. After the outbreak of the German Revolution, he decided to support Communist initiatives, and published texts by Vladimir Lenin and other Russian Bolshevik leaders. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Bolshevist Russia or Bolshevik Russia is a common term for the Bolshevik side in the Russian Civil War, or more specifically the Russian The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction

Even by the end of 1918, Die Aktion had published an appeal by the Spartacist League, and following the founding of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), Pfemfert made his magazine the party voice. The Spartacist League ( Spartakusbund in German) was a left-wing Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany The Communist Party of Germany ( German Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands &ndash KPD) was a major political party in Germany between 1918 To that end, he gave Die Aktion a new subheading, that of Weekly periodical for revolutionary socialism. When the KPD changed its policies in October 1919, and began to exclude Syndicalists, Pfemfert tried once again to align Die Aktion with the far left opposition. Syndicalism is a type of movement which aims to degrade capitalist societies through action by the Working class on the industrial front Ultra-left|Radical left|Radicalism (historical|Hard left Far left and extreme left are terms used to discuss the position a group or person occupies within a Political spectrum From 1920 however, he supported the Communist Workers Party of Germany (KAPD), a Council Communist organization. The Communist Workers Party of Germany ( German: Kommunistische Arbeiter-Partei Deutschlands; KAPD was an anti-parliamentarian and Council communist party Council communism is a Far-left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s In the mid-1920s, he moved closer to the Free Workers' Union of Germany (FAUD), the Anarcho-Syndicalist of Rudolf Rocker, and published several of Rocker's texts in his magazine. The Free Workers' Union of Germany (Freie Arbeiter Union Deutschlands FAUD was an anarcho-syndicalist Trade union, which existed from the renaming of the Free Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of Anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. Johann Rudolf Rocker ( March 25, 1873 September 19, 1958) was an anarcho-syndicalist writer and activist However, it had become apparent by then that the revolutionary cause had lost its momentum.

1926-1932: End

The unsuccessful outcome of the revolution and the mounting conflict between left-wing parties as the Weimar Republic was being established damaged Die Aktion, which lost readers as a result (many others, who were only interested in art, had stopped reading the magazine during the late 1910s); another factor was hyperinflation before the adoption of the Rentenmark. The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 Certain figures in this article use Scientific notation for readability The Rentenmark (literally " Security Mark" ( RM) was a Currency issued on 15 November 1923 to stop the Hyperinflation

From 1927, the magazine appeared only sporadically (perhaps six or seven times a year). In 1929 the subheading was changed to Magazine for revolutionary communism, but by then Die Aktion was almost non-existent. In order to save space, texts were eventually printed in smaller and smaller font; in 1929 there were three issues, in 1930 one, in 1931 two, and in the August of 1932 the very last issue. Alongside economic and political reasons, Pfemfert's worsening health during the late 1920s contributed to the outcome.

Image

Die Aktion was in the quarto format, with double-line spacing. The German word Fraktur () refers to a specific sub-group of Blackletter Typefaces The word derives from the past participle fractus (“broken” In the beginning, the magazine was in Blackletter, but was changed to Antiqua in 1912 (more in line with its modernist tone). Blackletter, also known as Gothic script or Gothic minuscule, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 Antiqua Typefaces are those designed between about 1470 and 1600 specifically those by Nicholas Jenson and the Aldine roman commissioned by Aldus Manutius Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century

Most issues were 14 pages-long. The magazine was usually headed by Pfemfert's political editorials; early on, these were printed on the title page, before it was changed to a cover that often featured an Expressionist artwork alongside the magazine's contents.

Circulation and financing

The economic base of Die Aktion was always unstable, despite its initial success among the intelligentsia. For the coffee shop company often called Intelligentsia for short see Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea. At its peak, 7,000 copies were sold. The price started at 10 pfennig, rising to 30 at the outbreak of World War I, then 40, and climbing to 80 pfennig by 1918. The Pfennig (abbreviation Pf) is an old German coin or note which existed from the 9th century until the introduction of the Euro World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

To attract more revenue, a luxury edition was printed on deckle edged paper with a circulation of 100 copies, and sold at four-times the usual price. Papermaking is the process of making Paper, a material which is used ubiquitously today for writing and packaging This came about as Pfemfert wanted to remain independent, printing no advertisements, but also to regularly attend events such as balls, readings and lecture evenings. He turned down contributions from third-parties, such as from Paul Cassirer, who made him such an offer during the war. Paul Cassirer ( February 21 1871 in Görlitz - January 7 1926 in Berlin) was a German art dealer and editor who played a

From 1916, Aktion books were published on the side, and, in 1917, Pfemfert founded Aktions-Buch-und-Kunsthandlung ("Aktion's book and art dealers"), which was run by Pfemfert’s wife, Alexandra Ramm-Pfemfert. Based in Kaiserallee 222 (today Bundesallee) in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, it also helped to increase revenue. Wilmersdorf is a Inner city locality of Berlin, formerly a borough by itself but since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform a part of the new borough

Editing and editorial office

At the start, Kurt Hiller and Anarchist Anselm Ruest worked with Pfemfert on the magazine; Ruest left in 1912, and Hiller in 1913. Kurt Hiller also known as Keith Lurr and Klirr (Thule ( 17 August 1885, Berlin - 1 October 1972, Hamburg From 1918 to 1929, the poet Oskar Kanehl was Pfemfert's most important collaborator, and Alexandra Ramm-Pfemfert regularly participated in working on the magazine. At least for a short time, there was also a secretary, Lisa Pasedag.

Die Aktion never had an editorial office. The magazine was a one-man-job, and the editorial address matched that of Franz Pfemfert's private address, Nassauische Straße 17 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf. The atmosphere there was described by Franz Jung as

"The man, who sits behind his writing desk with an open door on the fourth floor at the back of Nassauische Strasse, anyone can come in and talk to him without knocking, while he rolls his cigarettes with a little machine. For Pfemfert, anyone who came into his office, be it to bring him something to evaluate or for him to print, was a customer, maybe good or bad. "

Published artists and writers

Art

Literature

Politics

Notes

  1. ^ Pfemfert, "I set this magazine. Alexander Porfiryevich Archipenko (also referred to as Olexandr Oleksandr or Aleksandr) ( May 30, 1887 - February 25, 1964) André Derain ( June 10, 1880 – September 8, 1954) was a French painter and co-founder of Fauvism with Henri Matisse Conrad Felixmüller (b 21 May1897 in Dresden - d 24 March 1977 in Berlin) was a German Expressionist painter Lyonel Charles Feininger ( July 17 1871 – January 13 1956) was a German-American painter and caricaturist George Grosz ( July 26, 1893 – July 6, 1959) was a German artist known especially for his savagely caricatural drawings Ernst Ludwig Kirchner ( May 6, 1880 &ndash June 15, 1938) was a German expressionist painter and Printmaker Alfred Leopold Isidor Kubin ( April 10, 1877 &ndash August 20, 1959) was an Austrian Expressionist, Illustrator Wilhelm Lehmbruck (* January 4 1881 in Duisburg, † March 25 1919 in Berlin) was a German sculptor Franz Marc ( February 8, 1880 &ndash March 4, 1916) was one of the principal painters and printmakers of the German Henri Matisse (31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954 was a French Artist, known for his use of Colour and his fluid brilliant and original draughtsmanship Ludwig Meidner ( Bernstadt, Silesia, 18 April 1884 &ndash Darmstadt, 14 May[[ 966]] was a German expressionist Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973 Christian Schad ( August 21, 1894 in Miesbach, Oberbayern - February 25, 1982 in Stuttgart) was a German painter Egon Schiele (12 June 1890 &ndash 31 October 1918 (ˈʃiːlə approximately SHEE-luh was an Austrian painter, a protégé of Gustav Klimt, and a Karl Schmidt-Rottluff ( December Georg Schrimpf (13 February 1889 in Munich/Bavaria – 19 April 1938 in Berlin a German painter and graphic artist was listed as a degenerate artist by the German National Socialist Félix Edouard Vallotton ( December 28 1865 – December 29 1925) was a Swiss painter and printmaker associated with Heinrich Vogeler ( December 12, 1872 – 1942 was a German painter designer and architect Ernst Angel ( 11 August[[ 894]] Vienna Austria - 10 January[[ 986]] Newark, New Jersey) was an Austrian born Poet Hugo Ball ( February 22, 1886 – September 14, 1927) was a German author poet and was one of the leading Dada artists Johannes Robert Becher (b May 22 1891 in Munich; d October 11 1958 in Berlin was a German Politician and Gottfried Benn ( 2 May 1886 &ndash 7 July 1956) was a German Essayist, Novelist and Expressionist Franz Blei (1871 - 10 July 1942 New York was an essayist playwright and translator from Vienna. Paul Boldt (born 1885 in West Prussia died 1921 in Freiburg im Breisgau was one of the poets of German Expressionism. Georg Morris Cohen Brandes ( 4 February 1842 - 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who had great influence on Scandinavian Max Brod ( May 27, 1884 – December 20, 1968) was an Austrian - Jewish Author, Composer, and Journalist Albert Ehrenstein (1886 Vienna &ndash 1950 New York) was an Austrian-born German Expressionist poet Carl Einstein (aka Karl Einstein) was born on April 26, 1885, in Neuwied/Rhein Germany and died July 3 or July 5, Claire Goll (born Clara Aischmann) ( October 29, 1890 in Nuremberg - May 30, 1977 in Paris) was a German Yvan Goll, born Isaac Lange ( Saint-Dié, March 29, 1891 - February 27, 1950) was a French-German poet who was perfectly Georg Heym ( 30 October 1887 &ndash 16 January[[ 912]] was a German writer Kurt Hiller also known as Keith Lurr and Klirr (Thule ( 17 August 1885, Berlin - 1 October 1972, Hamburg Jakob van Hoddis (born May 16 1887 in Berlin; died 1942 in Sobibór) was the pen name of a German - Jewish Expressionist Richard Huelsenbeck ( April 23, 1892 - April 30, 1974) was a Poet, Writer and Drummer born in Frankenau here http//wikipediaqwikacom/de2en/Arthur_Kronfeld Arthur Kronfeld (* January 9 1886 in Berlin; † October 16 1941 in Else Lasker-Schüler ( February 11, 1869 &ndash January 22, 1945) was a Jewish German Poet and playwright Hans Leybold ( 2 April 1892 - 8 September 1914) was a German poet and Nihilist, whose small body of work was a major inspiration behind Luiz (Ludwig Heinrich Mann ( 27 March 1871 &ndash 12 March 1950) was a German novelist who wrote works with social themes whose Charles Péguy ( January 7, 1873 - September 5, 1914) was a noted French Poet, Essayist and editor. Ernst Stadler ( 11 August 1883 — 30 October 1914) was a German Expressionist poet Theodor Lessing ( February 8, 1872, Hanover - August 31, 1933, Marienbad) was a German Jewish Franz Erdmann Mehring (27 February 1846 in Schlawe, Pomerania – 29 January 1919 in Berlin) was a German Publicist, Politician Erich Mühsam ( 6 April 1878 – 10 July 1934) was a German-Jewish anarchist, writer poet dramatist and cabaret performer Paul Karl Wilhelm Scheerbart (born January 8 1863 in Danzig - October 15[[ 915]] in Berlin) was an author of Fantastic Walter Serner ( 15 January 1889 &ndash 1942 was a German-language Writer and Essayist His manifesto Letzte Lockerung was Carl Sternheim ( April 1, 1878 – November 3, 1942) was a German Playwright and Short story writer Ernst Toller ( December 1, 1893 – May 22, 1939) was a German communist Playwright, best known for his Benjamin Franklin Wedekind ( Hannover July 24, 1864 &ndash Munich March 9, 1918) usually known as Frank Wedekind Franz Werfel ( September 10, 1890 &ndash August 26, 1945) was an Austrian - Bohemian Novelist Playwright Carl Zuckmayer ( December 27, 1896 &ndash January 18, 1977) was a German Writer and Playwright. Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin ( - July 1 1876) was a well-known Russian Revolutionary and theorist of Collectivist anarchism. Alexander Aleksandrovich Bogdanov Александр Александрович Богданов (born Alyaksandr Malinouski, Аляксандар Маліноўскі( ( August 13, 1871 - January 15, 1919) was a German Socialist and a co-founder of the Spartacist League and the Communist Rosa Luxemburg (Róża Luksemburg 5 March 1870 or 1871 15 January 1919 was a Polish-born Jewish German Marxist theorist, socialist Johann Rudolf Rocker ( March 25, 1873 September 19, 1958) was an anarcho-syndicalist writer and activist Otto Rühle (23October 1874 - 24 June 1943 was a German Left Communist active in opposition to both the First and Second World Wars and a founder with along with Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij . . ", p. 21

References

External links

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