- Burschenschaft
German "Burschenschaften" (abbreviated: "B!" , plural: "B!B!" ) are a special type of "
Studentenverbindung en" (student fraternities). Burschenschaften were founded in the 19th century as associations ofuniversity student s inspired by liberal and nationalistic ideas.History
Beginnings 1815- c. 1918
The first one, called "
Urburschenschaft " (original B!), was founded on June, 12, 1815 atJena as an association of "all" Germanuniversity student s inspired by liberal and patriotic ideas. Its original colors were red-black-red with a golden oak leaves cluster, which were based on theLützow Free Corps . The colors were the basis of the German national colors black-red-gold. Even today, these colors are worn by many Burschenschaften.The Burschenschaften were student associations that engaged in numerous social functions. However, their most important goal was to foster loyalty to the concept of a united German national state as well as strong engagement for freedom, rights, and democracy. They were banned by
Klemens Wenzel von Metternich ofAustria when he issued the reactionaryCarlsbad Decrees in 1819.Many Burschenschafter took part in the
Hambacher Fest in 1832 and the democratic Revolution in 1848/49. After this revolution had been suppressed, plenty of leading Burschenschafter, such as Friedrich Hecker andCarl Schurz , went abroad. After the foundation of the German Empire in 1871, the "Burschenschaften" movement faced a severe crisis, as one major goal had been attempted to some extent - German unification. In the 1880s, a renaissance movement, the "Reformburschenschaften", led by the ideas of Küster, raised and many new "B!B!" were founded.1918-1945
In 1935, all Burschenschaften were dissolved by the Nazi government or transformed and fused with other Studentenverbindungen into so-called "Kameradschaften" (comradeships). Both some Nazis (e.g.
Ernst Kaltenbrunner ) and Nazi opponents (Karl Sack ,Hermann Kaiser ) were members of Burschenschaften.Postwar
In the 1950s, most B!B! were refounded and some of them had to be transferred into other cities, since Germany lost great parts of its territories after the Second World War. The allied victors had forbidden refounding B!B! originally, but this could not be upheld. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Burschenschaften, as many other student fraternities, underwent a crisis: a lack of new members and strong attacks by the liberal student community.
Today
Roughly 160 Burschenschaften still exist today and most of them are organized in the Deutsche Burschenschaft-organization in the Federal Republic of Germany and Austria or in the Neue Deutsche Burschenschaft-organization founded in 1996 as a collective for liberal B!B! in Germany. Aside from these two bigger organizations there are some smaller and non-organised B!B!. There are also some Burschenschaften in Chile, organized in the BCB (Bund Chilenischer Burschenschaften), in contact with the German and Austrian organizations. Most Burschenschaften are "pflichtschlagend", i.e. their members must absolve a number of
Mensur en. Academic fencing is still an important part of their self-understanding as well as political education.Former US interior secretary
Carl Schurz was a famous Burschenschafter.Controversy
It is affirmed that members of Burschenschaften are often affiliated with conservative parties. Burschenschaften themselves do not tend to a single party or group of parties.
ee also
*
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states - (Burschenschaften were student groups which played a part in beginning of the Prussian Revolution)External links
* [http://www.burschenschaft.de/portrait/portrait_englisch.htm English information about the German Burschenschaften]
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