FRIEDJUNG, HEINRICH

FRIEDJUNG, HEINRICH (1851–1920), Austrian historian. Friedjung became professor of history in 1873 at Wiener Handelsakademie and participated in Georg von *Schoenerer's pan-German movement but parted with Schoenerer because of the latter's antisemitism. Dismissed from his post by the Education Ministry in 1881 for his radical political publicity, Friedjung entered upon a journalistic career. He founded and edited Deutsche Wochenschrift (1883–86) and became editor-in-chief of Deutsche Zeitung, the main publication of the Deutschnationale Partei. From 1891 to 1895, Friedjung was a member of the Vienna City Council. Because of growing antisemitism he had to leave the party and subsequently focused on scholarly works on the German Confederation, the Second German Empire, and the era of Francis Joseph. His Der Kampf um die Vorherrschaft in Deutschland 1859–1869 (2 vols., 1907) went through 10 editions and spread his fame beyond the frontiers of Austria. His other works were Benedeks Nachgelassene Papiere (1904), Oesterreich 1848–1860 (unfinished, 1907–12), and Krimkrieg und die oesterreichische Politik (1911²). His scholarly Das Zeitalter des Imperialismus (3 vols., 1919–22) was completed after his death by A.F. Pribram. Friedjung's Jewish origin barred him from a post at Vienna University, and, while he had little interest in Jewish affairs, he considered it undignified to buy a career through conversion.

add. bibliography:

H. Bachmann, "Heinrich Friedjung 1851–1920,": in: Die Juden in den Böhmischen Ländern (1983), 201–08; R. Eder, Heinrich Friedjung (1991); A. Dechel, Das "Linzer Programm" und seine Autoren – Seine Vorgeschichte unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Rolle des Historikers Heinrich Friedjung (1975).

[Herbert A. Strauss]