Harden, Maximilian

Harden, Maximilian

(mäk'sēmē`lyän här`dən), 1861–1927, German journalist, whose real name was Witkowski. One of the leading publicists of his time, he was an admirer of BismarckBismarck, Otto von
, 1815–98, German statesman, known as the Iron Chancellor. Early Life and Career

Born of an old Brandenburg Junker family, he studied at Göttingen and Berlin, and after holding minor judicial and administrative offices he was elected
..... Click the link for more information.
. After Bismarck's fall he used his own paper, the Zukunft, to attack the men surrounding William IIWilliam II,
1859–1941, emperor of Germany and king of Prussia (1888–1918), son and successor of Frederick III and grandson of William I of Germany and of Queen Victoria of England.
..... Click the link for more information.
, and in World War I he censured the military leaders. Later he sharply criticized the statesmen of the German republic. Essentially Harden was a popular journalist appealing to mass prejudices and beliefs. Among his many books are Germany, France, and England (tr. 1924) and I Meet My Contemporaries (tr. 1925).

Bibliography

See biography by H. F. Young (1959).