What do historical figures from the region's history of democracy have to do with current social challenges? Quite a lot, according to the tenor of the event "Kampf der Demokrat*innen - 1849 und heute". On November 19, 2020, the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate, in cooperation with Offener Kanal Weinstraße, Studio Landau, showed the documentary "Theodor Graf Fugger von Glött - Deserter or Freedom Fighter?". In the subsequent discussion, moderated by the managing director of the Peace Academy Dr. Charlotte Dany, the Landau filmmakers Gabriele and Werner Knauf and Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Kreutz, historian from the University of Mannheim and chairman of the Hambach Gesellschaft e.V., drew connections between historical events and current political developments.
In 1850, officer Theodor Graf Fugger von Glött was executed as a deserter in Landau. "He is a freedom fighter and democrat who is almost forgotten today" - this is how the filmmakers described their motivation for creating the portrait and emphasize that "it was actually a coincidence that we came across his story". Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Kreutz placed the biography of Fugger von Glött in the wider historical context and illustrated that after the February Revolution of 1848, part of a European spring of nations, the restorative forces gained power. The so-called Imperial Constitution Campaign also led to uprisings in the Palatinate in order to enforce recognition of the Paulskirche Constitution. These were not successful. Fugger von Glött died for the demands for legal freedom, non-violence and the rule of law on which today's democracy is based.
In his classification, Kreutz also points out current analogies, for example with the Arab Spring in the Maghreb states. The participants joining the discussion by phone and chat also point out the current relevance. "Will it never end?" asks the protagonist shortly before his execution in the film. "Just look at the deaths of refugees in the Mediterranean," comments one caller, "even today, freedom and democracy don't apply to everyone."
Today's 'struggle of democrats' is also directed against attempts to reinterpret democratic values and institutions, as shown, for example, by the appropriation of Hambach Castle by right-wing actors. Here, Prof. Dr. Kreutz, as Chairman of the Hambach Society, is directly affected by attempts to undermine it and states from his perspective: "It is important to defend ourselves against the appropriation of memorial sites, e.g. as historians to re-establish the relationships" and "we must make it clear how lucky it is to live in this democracy. It is the best democracy Germany has ever had and it must be defended."
The recording of the conversation and film below is kindly provided by Offener Kanal Weinstraße, Studio Landau.
