View source for Robert Blum

{{Short description|German democratic politician (1807–1848)}}
{{About|the German politician|other people with the same name}}
{{Infobox politician
| name        = 
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| image        = Portrait of Robert Blum by August Hunger.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by August Hunger, 1845–1848
| succession   =
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| relatives    = 
| spouse       = {{marriage|Jenny Blum|April 20, 1840}}
| full name    = 
| father       = Engelbert Blum
| mother       = Maria Katharina Brabender
| children     = [[Hans Blum (journalist)|Hans Blum]]
| parents      = 
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1807|11|10|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Cologne]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1848|11|9|1807|11|10|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Brigittenau]], [[Vienna]], [[Austrian Empire]]
| resting_place = [[Jewish cemetery in Währing]]
| alma_mater   = |
| nationality       = [[Germany|German]]
| citizenship      = [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]]
| occupation         = [[Librarian]], [[Politician]], [[Writer]], [[Revolutionary]]
}}
{{no footnotes|date=November 2011}}
{{Expand German|topic=bio}}
'''Robert Blum''' (10 November 1807 – 9 November 1848) was a German democratic politician, publicist, poet, publisher, revolutionary and member of the [[Frankfurt Parliament|National Assembly]] of 1848. In his fight for a strong, unified Germany he opposed [[ethnocentrism]] and it was his strong belief that no one people should rule over another. As such he was an opponent of the [[Prussia]]n occupation of Poland and was in contact with the revolutionaries there. Blum was a critic of [[antisemitism]], supported the [[German Catholics (sect)|German Catholic sect]], and agitated for the equality of the sexes. Although claiming  immunity as a member of the National Assembly, he was arrested during a stay at the hotel "Stadt London" in Vienna and executed for his role in [[the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states]].

==Biography==
[[File:Gedenktafel für Robert Blum am Fischmarkt, Köln-crop-6029.jpg|left|thumb|Memorial tablet at "Fischmarkt" in Cologne where Robert Blum was born Inscript: "Born at this place on 10 November 1807, shot at Vienna on 9 November 1848; I die for the German liberty that I fought for. May the fatherland remember me."]]
Blum grew up in poverty in [[Cologne]], the son of a failed theologian who made a poor living as a [[Cooper (profession)|cooper]]. He was ten years old before he could go to school.  After his schooling, he worked as a craftsman in different trades. He failed as a goldsmith's apprentice, but completed an apprenticeship as a gardener. After his journeyman's time, he returned to Cologne to work in a lamp factory. His employer put him to work at the counter since he was good at calculations. In 1829, he followed his employer to Berlin where he also continued his education. His work was interrupted by obligatory military service, and on his release, his poor circumstances obliged him to return to Cologne. There, in 1830, he worked serving in a theater company and started writing politically motivated poetry and plays. When the theater closed in the summer, he worked for a sheriff as a scribe.

The political upheavals of 1830 attracted his interest, and ideals of freedom found their way into his poetry. In 1832, he followed the theater troupe to [[Leipzig]].  There he came in touch with humanist and liberal circles, contributed to the liberal newspaper ''Zeitung für die elegante Welt'' and joined Leipzig's [[freemason]] [[Masonic Lodge|lodge]]. By 1840, he had worked his way up to being a cashier in the city theater.  That year he also founded the [[Friedrich Schiller|Schiller]]verein in Leipzig which celebrated the poet's anniversary as a festival in honor of political liberty.

Beginning in 1839, Blum became a leading figure in the [[Kingdom of Saxony]]'s national-liberal circles; as a gifted orator and organizer, he helped establish Saxony's opposition movement as a serious political force. His initial attempt at a newsletter was suppressed by the censor, but another one continued for four years with occasional lapses due to the censor. He became a [[German Catholics (sect)|German Catholic]] when [[Johannes Ronge]] came to Leipzig, and wrote on that movement's behalf. In 1845, Blum organized the first German Catholic [[synod]] in Leipzig that marked the beginning of Germany's humanist free religious movement. In 1844, he gave up his theater job to found a book store.

[[Image:Frankfurt Nationalversammlung 1848.jpg|thumb|Painting by Ludwig von Elliott of the [[Frankfurt Parliament]] during a speech by Robert Blum, 1848]]
In 1845, the presence of [[John, King of Saxony|John of Saxony]] stirred the masses and the military fired on them.  At a turbulent meeting of armed citizens and students of Leipzig, Blum dissuaded them from storming the barracks, and urged conformity to the law. This resulted in his being elected a representative in Leipzig's government.

Blum embraced the [[Revolutions of 1848 in Germany|upheavals of 1848]]. He was one of the presidents of the preliminary parliament at [[Frankfurt]] which he dominated with his energy, imposing figure and pithy speeches.  As a member of the [[Frankfurt parliament|succeeding parliament]] and leader of the left, he worked to contain the most radical elements. Blum's trustworthiness was questioned when the extreme leftist [[Arnold Ruge]] claimed Blum had moved toward his side. As the leader of the radical liberal faction, he strongly opposed the [[Schleswig-Holstein Question|Malmö Treaty]] between [[Denmark]] and [[Prussia]] that abolished [[Schleswig-Holstein]]'s democratically elected government. He was also one of the most vocal supporters of [[popular sovereignty]].

[[Image:RB-Hinrichtung.jpeg|thumb|Painting by [[Carl Steffeck]] of the execution of Robert Blum, 1848]]
In October, when [[Vienna Uprising|revolutionary fighting]] broke out in [[Vienna]], Blum travelled there as part of a parliamentarian envoy and joined the revolutionary forces. On the surrender of the capital to [[Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz|Windischgrätz]], Blum was arrested with several of his companions on 4 November. Brought before a military tribunal, he pleaded in vain his privileges as a deputy from the German Diet and was condemned to be hanged, a sentence which was changed to death by the bullet. He was executed on 9 November. His death became a symbol for the futility of Germany's 1848 rebellion; the day of his death marks the first of a series of events that led to [[November 9]] being referred to as Germany's ''[[Schicksalstag]]'' (fateful day).

His son [[Hans Blum (journalist)|Hans Blum]] was a noted writer and journalist.
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== References ==
* {{de-ADB|2|739|741|Blum, Robert|Max von Eelking|ADB:Blum, Robert}}
* [[Wilhelm Liebknecht]], ''Robert Blum und seine Zeit'' (Nuremberg 1896) {{in lang|de}}
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Blum, Robert|year=1905}}
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Blum, Robert}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Blum, Robert |short=x}}
* Archive of [http://hdl.handle.net/10622/ARCH00061 Robert Blum Papers] at the [[International Institute of Social History]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blum, Robert}}
[[Category:1807 births]]
[[Category:1848 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Cologne]]
[[Category:German religious humanists]]
[[Category:Members of the Frankfurt Parliament]]
[[Category:Executed German revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Executed people from North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Politicians from the Rhine Province]]
[[Category:People executed by the Austrian Empire]]
[[Category:People executed by Austria by firing squad]]
[[Category:19th-century German dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:19th-century German poets]]