Georg Büchner, Der Hessische Landbote [The Hessian Messenger]

Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Domains

Political Science

Dates

First circulation or publication 1834

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Essays/ Lectures (any)
Non-fictional prose

Resources

Der Hessische Landbote [The Hessian Messenger] is among the most acclaimed political texts in German and by far the most powerful call to revolution in pamphlet form written during the era of Restoration (1815-1848) in the German Confederation. After the dismemberment of the Napoleonic empire, central Europe saw a resurgence of absolutism and the concomitant severe fiscal exploitation of the populace as well as brutal suppression of civil rights through police states. Georg Büchner had studied in Strasbourg (1831-1833), a hotbed of populist activity against the repressive Paris government, and absorbed a variety of revolutionary theories: Jacobinism, early communism as formulated by Babeuf and spread by his followers, Blanqui's theory of class struggle and Buonarroti's radical egalitarianism. At this time, he had resolved to fight for political freedom and social justice.

When he returned...

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1070 words

Citation: Knapp, Gerhard P.. "Der Hessische Landbote". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 March 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10374, accessed 07 December 2025.]