Anton Zischka

Anton Emmerich Zischka (von Trochnov) (September 14 1904 in Vienna – May 31 1997 Pollensa (Majorca, Spain)) was an Austrian journalist and one of the most successful Non-fiction writers in the 20. century. He wrote also under the Pseudonyms "Rupert Donkan", "Thomas Daring", "Darius Plecha" and "Antal Sorba". His some 40 books that mostly covered non-fictional economic and technical topics have been translated into 18 languages.

Life

The multlingual Zischka was working for "Neue Freien Presse" from 1924 to 1929 and from 1930 in Paris as correspondent for different European and American newspapers. His big success as a journalist allowed him e.g. to buy and use a private airplane which allowed him to report internationally. His writings about the China flood disaster of 1931 have been covered by nearly all European newspapers. Zischka worked as a freelance author since the success of his first book „Le Monde en Folie“ 1933 and stayed with his Dutch wife from 1935 till his death 1997 on their own Finca in San Vicente, Majorca. Parts of Zischkas private archive are now to be found in Deutsches Museum Munich. [ [http://www.deutsches-museum.de/fileadmin/Content/Haupthaus/Archiv/PDFs/Archiv_info/arch_in2.pdf] Archivinfo Deutsches Museum]

Describing Travels and Industry experience

Start of the 30ies Zischkas reports about foreign countries and global industries (Zischka worked under cover in Belgian coal mines and Romanian oil fields) promoted connaisseurship and authenticity. He found a broad audience in Nazi Germany but as well abroad.

The growth and success of the Goldmann publishing house in Leipzig was mainly based on the success of Zischkas bestsellers. different from, for instance, Karl Aloys Schenzinger, a more fictional "Raw Material" bestseller writer during the Third Reich Zischka remained in Spain (and staid adhering to non-fiction) and found international praise as well. Zischka finally found (afte some vain efforts) a sponsor within the Nazi elite, Fritz Todt. The latter introduced "Wissenschaft bricht Monopole“ (1936) as text book in secondary schools and made Zischka an household name within the regime. The book was translated in 18 languages and sold worldwide [ [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sachbuchforschung/html/nonfiktion_laak.pdf] Dirk von Laak about Ziscka] .

Serving the Third Reich Propaganda effort

Similar to "Ölkrieg" (Oil War), Zischka explained the background of war and armed conflict as simple struggles for land and raw materials. Zischka presented German technical developments as Coal fluidization or the (Haber process) as being able to guarantee peace. He juxtaposed the greedy capitalism of British or American monopoles against the German orderly working, organic „Volksgemeinschaft“ willing to share its technology. Against an Anglo Saxon democratic public, a society dominated by Mass media and party politics Zischka put his (very German) ideal of an organic synthesis, a common Gemeinschaft based on a broad mass movement lead by technokrats deciding on efficiency criteria.

Ziscka did not only serve wide spread then German credentials [ [http://www.konservativ.de/buch/groth.htm] Jens Reich' as example for nowadays green authoritarian dreams ] . Zischka avoided blunt antisemitism and outspoken chauvinism - this allowed him to draw a peaceful and "modern" picture of the Third Reich, serving exactly the latter's prewar propaganda aims. This eased as well Zischka postwar stance as non political, peaceful technocrat. However it has clearly to be stated that Zischka joined the NSDAP 1940, had been member of Deutsche Arbeitsfront, had trained and instructed Legion Condor forces and provided dossiers about the Spanish political situation to Nazi government authorities.

Impact on public debate in the Third Reich

Zischkas publications enhanced a public debate about measurements to increase energy autarky and lead to the construction (against the will of the German petrochemical industry) of several coal fluidization plants in NS-Germany [ [http://www.perlentaucher.de/buch/13768.html] Rainer Karlsch und Raymond G. Stokes "Faktor Öl". Die Mineralölwirtschaft in Deutschland 1859-1974 ] . In real life, those plants served not for global peace but provided gasoline for the Wehrmacht Blitzkriegs.

Restart and further success after 1945

An allied order for repatriation lead to Zischkas internment after 1945. Zischka managed to get back to writing activities with Bertelsmann (using a Pseudonym first) and reestablished again a legal foothold in Spain within 1948. Further bestsellers followed, Zischka went famous as well through public lectures in Germany. His main topics stayed energy and industry, but he wrote as well about the role of the Dollar in global economy. The latter topic Zischka presented as a controversy between annotated Anglo Saxon profiteering and war mongering against a peace power of (not longer German) but European origin. [ [http://www.zeit.de/1999/21/Feindbild_Rambo] FRIEDENSMACHT / Peace Power: A Querfront point with dark origin ] .

Zischka as source of ideas for Globalization critics

Zischkas success was not only due to excellent writing style, personal commitment and ambition and well searched facts. He was excellent in choosing topics of upcoming broad interest (as energy supply) and describing them with a provocative and interest catching prose. His journalistic methods have found different heirs, from Günter Wallraff to Peter Scholl-Latour. His points and argumentations are still to be found and active in different part of the German political spectrum and debate. [ [http://www.subventionsberater.de/gier/zischkai.html German positive summary of Zischkas $ related book "Der Dollar, Glanz und Elend der Weltwährung"] ]

As an example Zischkas paradigma of Dollar-Imperialism and War about oil are to be found with nowadays German non-fiction authors of different origins: [ [http://conne-island.de/nf/99/32.html] Sueddeutsche Zeitung about The slogan "No blood for oil" has a dark background ] .
* F. William Engdahl, a Büso related journalist and author of "Mit der Ölwaffe zur Weltmacht" ("The Oil weapon leading to global power")
* Hans Kronberger, former Member of the European Parliament for Austrian right wing FPÖparty, author of "Blut für Öl" (Blood for oil), the preface of the book written by SPD-Solar Guru Hermann Scheer
* Franz Alt, former member of CDU, fore runner of the Peace Movement and author of "Krieg um Öl oder Frieden durch die Sonne" ("War about oil or solar peace")

A similarity to Zischka is the lineup of an alleged oil greedy (Jewish) American Plutocracy and war mongering Globalization against a future peaceful European technocracy. Instead of Zischkas zest for Coal fluidization nowadays authors promote switching to solar energy supply and Hydrogen economy as technocratic deus-ex-machina leading to global peace [ [http://zoom.mediaweb.at/zoom_498/rez_kronberger.html] Common reference of Zischka/Kronberger/Engdahl/Alt ] .

A somewhat more sophisticated reasoning about deeper causes of armed conflicts - as e.g. local social struggles, cultural and religious unrest and differences are completely neglected. Instead Zischka and his followers set up a popular and easy digestible amalgam of pauschalities and combined Anti-Americanism, Anti-Globalization with a radiating technocratic vision. It does neither fit into classical left - right political schemes nor does it help to solve any real existing conflict (compare Kosovo).

Book titles (just to name a few)

* Anton Zischka: "Der Kampf um die Weltmacht Öl", Goldmann Verlag, Leipzig 1934
* Anton Zischka: "Der Kampf um die Weltmacht Baumwolle", Goldmann Verlag, Leipzig 1935
* Anton Zischka: "Abessiien", 1935
* Anton Zischka: "Japan in der Welt", 1936
* Anton Zischka: "Wissenschaft bricht Monopole", Goldmann Verlag, Leipzig 1936
* Anton Zischka: "Brot für 2 Milliarden Menschen - Der Kampf um die Nahrung der Welt", Goldmann Verlag, Leipzig 1938
* Anton Zischka: "Ölkrieg", Goldmann Verlag, Leipzig 1939
* Anton Zischka: "Englands Bündnisse", Goldmann Verlag, Leipzig 1940
* Anton Zischka: "Sieg der Arbeit - Geschichte des fünftausendjährigen Kampfes gegen Unwissenheit und Sklaverei", Goldmann Verlag, Leipzig 1941.
* Anton Zischka: "Die Auferstehung Arabiens", 1942
* Anton Zischka: "Die Welt bleibt reich", 1952
* Anton Zischka: "Kohle im Atomzeitalter", Bertelsmann, 1961
* Anton Zischka: "Das Ende des amerikanischen Jahrhunderts", 1972; Stalling, Oldenburg 1985, ISBN 3797913435
* Anton Zischka: "Kampf ums Überleben. Das Menschenrecht auf Energie", Econ, München 1979, ISBN 3430199646
* Antal Sorba: "Die große Schröpfung. 5000 Jahre Wirtschaft trotz Finanzamt", Econ, München 1985, ISBN 343018620X
* Anton Zischka: "Der Dollar, Glanz und Elend der Weltwährung", Langen Müller/Herbig, 1986; Akt. Neuausgabe 1995, ISBN 3-7844-7345-8
* Anton Zischka: "Tschernobyl - kein Zufall. Sowjetwirtschaft und die Fehler des Westens", Universitas, München 1987, ISBN 3-8004-1138-5
* Anton Zischka: "Die alles treibende Kraft. Weltgeschichte der Energie", 1988, ISBN 3872006673

References

Persondata
NAME=Zischka, Anton Emmerich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Austrian German author and journalist
DATE OF BIRTH=September 14, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH=Vienna
DATE OF DEATH=May 31, 1997
PLACE OF DEATH=Pollensa Majorca, Spain