Freiheit (Freedom)

Freiheit was one of the longest-running an­archist periodicals. For over thirty-one years, from 1878 to 1910, Freiheit was the foremost exponent of German-language transatlantic radicalism, first in London and then in New York.

Freiheit came into being in the wake of Germany’s Anti-Socialist Law of October 19, 1878, which resulted in a sweeping suppression of all Socialist activities—in- cluding publications. Hundreds of rank- and-file Socialists were expelled from Ger­many or emigrated voluntarily. Most ended up in London, where they organized political clubs. It was this community that pursued the need for a German propa­ganda paper to be smuggled back home. Exiled radicals increasingly criticized the Socialist Party leadership, which was effec­tively muzzled by the German government, for being unwilling to resist the state. The exiles eventually lost faith in the ability of parliamentary action to hasten social change and so turned to underground ac­tion and journalism.

In December 1878, Johann Most was expelled from Germany and sought refuge in London. A fierce critic of the Socialist elders and an experienced editor, he was persuaded by the exiles to stand at the helm of the newly founded paper Freiheit. The first issue appeared on January 4, 1879. Al­though the paper was initially a straightfor­ward Social Democratic organ, Socialist deputies in Berlin nevertheless objected to it on the basis that it was founded without party approval.

From 1880 to 1882, Freiheit shifted from a Social Democratic paper to a social revolutionary paper, one that advocated decentralized activism and that no longer shied away from the rhetoric of insurrec­tionary violence.

As a well-edited mouthpiece for the Socialist exile community, Freiheit grew in popularity, with its circulation climbing to 1,800. It reached German and Austrian subscribers through a precarious smuggling system. Sheets were shipped in tin cans, mailed as letters to border agents, or were simply hidden in luggage. Editors further confounded customs officials by renaming each issue. Still, participation in the radical exile community was extremely dangerous. London clubs had been infiltrated by Ger­man detectives, and some smugglers were shadowed.

In March 1881, Freiheit came under fire when it published an article entitled “Endlich!” (“At Last!”) celebrating the re­cent assassination of Czar Alexander II. British prosecution of the paper landed Most in jail. Released in October 1882, he decided to move the paper (and himself) to New York, where the first American issue appeared on December 9. He assumed complete control over the magazine, aided by a core group of assistants, including Moritz Schultze, who served as interim ed­itor whenever Most was in prison. Most traveled across the United States to recruit subscribers, hire agents, and stage fundrais­ing events. Circulation expanded from 5,000 in 1885 to 8,000 in 1887. The bulk of those issues were still bound for Europe. A fair number also went to German Amer­ican workers. In addition, the paper counted readers among Czech and Jewish anarchists in the United States. In the early 1880s, the tone had become decidedly an­archist and revolutionary, featuring articles on class warfare and the evils of American capitalism. In July 1885, the paper in­creased to eight pages, including advertise­ments for saloons, brewers, and artisans.

Other than news and announcements, Freiheit addressed Communist anarchism,

the labor movement, and syndicalism, transforming itself from a militant, com­bative paper into a more intellectual maga­zine. Among the featured authors were Jean Grave, Rudolf Grossmann, Elisee Reclus, and Helene Most, some in first­time translation. There was also room for poetry from such German Americans as Georg Biedenkapp and Martin Drescher.

During the 1890s, Freiheit was mired in financial difficulties mainly caused by a drop in subscriptions and rising production costs. From 1897 to 1898, Most was forced to move to Buffalo and team up with a local labor paper to save his paper. Still, Most was somehow able to keep Freiheit afloat. In September 1901, just moments after the murder of President William McKinley, Most unwittingly printed an old essay, “Mord contra Mord” (“Murder vs. Mur­der”), which supported political assassina­tion. As a result of this unhappy coinci­dence, the aging Most was thrown in jail.

After Most’s death on March 11, 1906, a conference was called to decide the future of Freiheit, now in its twenty-seventh year. A Freiheit Publishing Association was set up, which included Henry Bauer and Max Baginski. In November 1907, the associa­tion agreed to continue the paper fort­nightly with Baginski as editor. Despite these last attempts, Freiheit finally folded for good on August 17, 1910. It was seen by many as the end of an era, the final breath of German-language radicalism in the United States, although a few other pe­riodicals appeared until 1914.

Tom Goyens

See also Anarchists; Bismarck’s Anti-Socialist Law; Buffalo; Most, Johann; New York City; Newspaper Press, German Language in the United States

References and Further Reading

Arndt, Karl and May Olson, comps. Deutsch- amerikanische Zeitungen und Zeitschriften, 1732-1955: Geschichte und Bibliographie. Heidelberg: Quelle und Meyer, 1955.

Eberlein, Alfred. Die Presse der Arbeiterklasse und der sozialen Bewegungen: Von den dreiβiger Jahren des 19.Jahrhunderts biszum Jahre 1967. Berlin (East): Akademie- Verlag, 1968.

Porter, Bernard. “The Freiheit Prosecutions, 1881—1882.” The Historical Journal. 23 (1980): 833-856.

Rocker, Rudolf. Johann Most: Das Leben eines Rebellen. Berlin: Der Syndikalist, 1924. Glashutten im Taunus: Detlov Auvermann, 1973.