Augstein, Rudolph

Rudolf Augstein was born into a traditional Catholic family and was the youngest of seven children ^[7] . Father Friedrich Augstein was an entrepreneur, engaged in the production and sale of photographic equipment. Rudolf Augstein’s childhood coincided with the years when the National Socialists were in power. Augstein, the father, knew and explained to his children that Hitler's policy meant war and death for Germany. “Finis Germaniae” - these words Rudolf Augstein heard from childhood. ^[8]

In 1942 he was drafted to the front and went through the war as a radio operator in an artillery regiment; was wounded three times.

In the postwar years, many editors were formerly members of the National Socialist Party and, therefore, had no right to work in their specialty. This paved the way for a new generation. Rudolf Augstein, being “politically clean” in the understanding of the British, in 1945 became a member of the editorial board of the Hannoverscher Nachrichtenblatt newspaper, which was published by the Allied military administration. In 1946, he headed the German news department at Diese Woche. A year later, the British military authorities gave him a license to publish this magazine, and Augstein renamed it - it was the birth date of the Spiegel magazine ^[9] , which is translated from German as “mirror”.

From the pages of Spiegel, Augstein fought against the arrogance of the occupation authorities, with the corruption of politicians and the arrogance of officials. Later Augstein himself said:

That is, the matter was not limited to changing the name of the magazine. Augstein set himself the goal of bringing the provincial publication to the national level, choosing high-profile political investigations and disclosures as a means. Already in 1950, "Spiegel" thundered throughout the country with material indicating that in the transfer of the capital of Germany from Frankfurt am Main to Bonn, there was a bribery of deputies who cast their votes.

After the scandal, a major German publisher, John Jahr, redeems shares from Štempka and Barsch ^[10] , Rudolf Augstein and John Yar become co-owners of Spiegel magazine. In 1952, "Spiegel" from Hanover moved to Hamburg. Rudolf Augstein, under the creative pseudonym “Jens Daniel Augstein,” is campaigning against the pro-Western policy of Konrad Adenauer .

In 1962, a scandal erupted in the Federal Republic of Germany, which had a loud international outcry and was called the “ Spiegel Magazine Case”: on October 26, 1962, criminal officers from the Bonn branch of the Federal Criminal Police Directorate burst into the Hamburg Press House and search 170 editorial rooms in seven then seven editors were arrested, Rudolf Augstein was accused of treason and served a prison term of 103 days. Only in 1965 the trial against Augstein was finally terminated. As a result of the scandal the minis Defense Franz Josef Strauss resigned. Spiegel emerged victorious from this story, his power strengthened, his importance increased, his circulation increased. ^[6]

The eighties passed smoothly for Spiegel, in 1989 the circulation successfully exceeded one million, the proceeds from advertising continued to grow. In 1993, the magazine appeared a serious competitor - the magazine "Focus" of the publishing house "Burda". The publishers of the magazine Focus offered more modern design and material written in a simpler language. Rudolf Augstein, on the other hand, insisted that Spiegel remain the same, he forbade journalists to write easier, and designers to change the design.

Rudolf Augstein died on November 7, 2002 from pneumonia. November 19, 2002 was buried in the Kaitum cemetery, located on the island of Sylt .

Rudolf Augstein was married five times. Augstein had four children ^[11] :

• Maria Sabina Augstein ( German: Maria Sabine Augstein ; born 1949)
• Hannah Franziska Augstein ( German: Hannah Franziska Augstein ; born 1964)
• Thomas Jakob Augstein ( German: Thomas Jakob Augstein ; born 1967)
• Julian Robert ( German: Julian Robert ; born 1963)

• Commander of the Order of Merit to the Federal Republic of Germany
• Honorary Doctor of MGIMO-University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia ^[5]

• Der spiegel