The house where Rudolf Steiner was born, in Kraljevic, present-day Croatia
Guest editorial by Wolfgang Ebeling (History teacher and Sophia Institute student)
Since it is very difficult to depict a precise picture of life at the time when Rudolf Steiner lived, especially with regard to countries or even continents as distinct as Europe, the Americas or India, I will focus on the political and social situation in the area where Steiner lived.
He was born and grew up in the Austrian countryside. Austria at that time was a lot larger as a result of which it was one of the states with most political power, forming part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which existed until the end of World War I in 1918. Because of its structure this empire was marked by huge differences: it had two politically influential cities, Vienna and Budapest, of which Vienna was the capital of the empire – until 1867 also the capital of what was then the German Confederation, including the seat of its parliament. Apart from these metropolitan areas, Austria-Hungary was still a rural country, with large natural spaces, such as various mountain areas including parts of the Alps, famous rivers like the Danube and huge forests.
This opposition between thriving cities and still unspoiled nature is also reflected in the stages of Rudolf Steiner's life. In his autobiography we are shown how he grew up in the natural environment of his parents' homes who had to move various times because of his father's work as a railway employee. But it was always within areas of villages or small towns, therefore also his experiences mirror the “spirit” of the people living in such surroundings. We can see how nature formed an essential part of people's lives. For example Steiner tells us how he enjoyed walking in the woods and talking to people he met there, mainly because they lived and and worked in the forest. He characterizes them as simple people who, at the same time, knew a lot about their environment, therefore also being able to tell and teach him things that he did not know or wanted to learn. One of his frequent encounters (although already as a student) that left a mark on him was with the herbalist with whom he felt a spiritual connection and from whom he learned a lot, not only about nature.
The political construction of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire could also be felt by Steiner's early experiences. His family lived in the Austrian part, but close to the border with Hungary, in a region which today belongs to Croatia. Here he followed discussions and felt the national differences among friends and colleagues of his family who were predominantly oriented towards Austria and the German influence versus those who favored a turn more towards the Hungarian side. We have to see this in the context of national (and liberal) movements which had their origin in the early 18th century, culminating for example in the first German parliament in 1848, but were suppressed by the reigning royal and aristocratic elite who tried to defend the existing political order and territories. Around the time of Steiner's boyhood and also adult age these national currents became more and more pressing since they had not been granted the national “freedom” that they demanded for their respective movements.
Thus “politically-sensitive” people felt this growing tension within their country/nations, and often decided to actively participate in one of these movements, the vast majority of them being men. The larger part of the society, however,was often not directly affected by the political developments because of the distance to the cities where politics was “made”. Therefore we find – not only in Austria-Hungary, but also in most parts of Europe at the turn of the century – a stark contrast between the political consciousness of people from the country and the city, of course also due to the different economic and infrastructural situation and, as a consequence, access to education.
Life in the rural areas of Austria-Hungary, as described very generally here, was quite different from the experiences of living in a bigger city or one the capitals, such as Vienna or Budapest. It is interesting that through the biography of Rudolf Steiner we can follow, up to a certain extent, the stages of moving from the countryside to the city – and back again later, which will not be discussed here.
Having finished his early schooling he was sent to the Realschule in Wiener Neustadt which is a small town. Here, for example, he underwent important personal developments such as the revealing discovery of geometry or that of German literature which came into his range of vision. (ch. I) Also it was here that he found a bookshop which advertised Kant's “Kritik der reinen Vernunft” and was to become one of Steiner's driving forces in intellectual discourse.
Apart from Steiner's personal biography we can see from these events how the step from the countryside to a small town already enabled people to get in touch with an almost “new world” - even more so in times long before the arrival of modern communication when people depended on direct personal contact!
Moving from this small town to study at the Technical University in the capital of Vienna marked a further decisive step for Steiner. There for the first time he was completely immersed in the world of education, intellectual and spiritual exchange, political discussion and social change. The work as a librarian and the editing of Goethe's natural scientific writings brought him into touch with people from all straits of society, although mainly with an academic background.
In a city like Vienna educated people formed private clubs or societies to discuss the prevalent issues of the time. At the turn of the century questions regarding the origin and development of mankind arose and were now scientifically researched and presented (as Steiner describes with the example of the biologist Ernst Haeckel). At the same time the social question had become one of the central challenges of modern society, with technological advancement on the one hand and often unbearable conditions for the workers on the other. This opposition between workers and owners, as interpreted by Karl Marx, was to become the “revolutionary” force by which many countries would be shaken in the course of the 20th century.
But there is another development which needs to be considered in this context: the above-mentioned growing nationalism which had by now been transformed into nation-wide movements on both the Austrian as well as the Hungarian side, with various peoples living together in one empire. It was thus only a question of time that this explosive condition of an over-sized realm would be hit by a crisis. After various international conflicts on the Balkans, the assassination of the Austrian successor to the throne by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914 and the following declarations of war were almost a “logical consequence” of this state of nationalistic pride, military overestimation and xenophobia. The personal casualties and losses of territories after four years of heavy fighting affected not only many families in Europe, but in the United States as part of its military involvement as well.
Since it is very difficult to depict a precise picture of life at the time when Rudolf Steiner lived, especially with regard to countries or even continents as distinct as Europe, the Americas or India, I will focus on the political and social situation in the area where Steiner lived.
He was born and grew up in the Austrian countryside. Austria at that time was a lot larger as a result of which it was one of the states with most political power, forming part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which existed until the end of World War I in 1918. Because of its structure this empire was marked by huge differences: it had two politically influential cities, Vienna and Budapest, of which Vienna was the capital of the empire – until 1867 also the capital of what was then the German Confederation, including the seat of its parliament. Apart from these metropolitan areas, Austria-Hungary was still a rural country, with large natural spaces, such as various mountain areas including parts of the Alps, famous rivers like the Danube and huge forests.
This opposition between thriving cities and still unspoiled nature is also reflected in the stages of Rudolf Steiner's life. In his autobiography we are shown how he grew up in the natural environment of his parents' homes who had to move various times because of his father's work as a railway employee. But it was always within areas of villages or small towns, therefore also his experiences mirror the “spirit” of the people living in such surroundings. We can see how nature formed an essential part of people's lives. For example Steiner tells us how he enjoyed walking in the woods and talking to people he met there, mainly because they lived and and worked in the forest. He characterizes them as simple people who, at the same time, knew a lot about their environment, therefore also being able to tell and teach him things that he did not know or wanted to learn. One of his frequent encounters (although already as a student) that left a mark on him was with the herbalist with whom he felt a spiritual connection and from whom he learned a lot, not only about nature.
The political construction of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire could also be felt by Steiner's early experiences. His family lived in the Austrian part, but close to the border with Hungary, in a region which today belongs to Croatia. Here he followed discussions and felt the national differences among friends and colleagues of his family who were predominantly oriented towards Austria and the German influence versus those who favored a turn more towards the Hungarian side. We have to see this in the context of national (and liberal) movements which had their origin in the early 18th century, culminating for example in the first German parliament in 1848, but were suppressed by the reigning royal and aristocratic elite who tried to defend the existing political order and territories. Around the time of Steiner's boyhood and also adult age these national currents became more and more pressing since they had not been granted the national “freedom” that they demanded for their respective movements.
Thus “politically-sensitive” people felt this growing tension within their country/nations, and often decided to actively participate in one of these movements, the vast majority of them being men. The larger part of the society, however,was often not directly affected by the political developments because of the distance to the cities where politics was “made”. Therefore we find – not only in Austria-Hungary, but also in most parts of Europe at the turn of the century – a stark contrast between the political consciousness of people from the country and the city, of course also due to the different economic and infrastructural situation and, as a consequence, access to education.
Life in the rural areas of Austria-Hungary, as described very generally here, was quite different from the experiences of living in a bigger city or one the capitals, such as Vienna or Budapest. It is interesting that through the biography of Rudolf Steiner we can follow, up to a certain extent, the stages of moving from the countryside to the city – and back again later, which will not be discussed here.
Having finished his early schooling he was sent to the Realschule in Wiener Neustadt which is a small town. Here, for example, he underwent important personal developments such as the revealing discovery of geometry or that of German literature which came into his range of vision. (ch. I) Also it was here that he found a bookshop which advertised Kant's “Kritik der reinen Vernunft” and was to become one of Steiner's driving forces in intellectual discourse.
Apart from Steiner's personal biography we can see from these events how the step from the countryside to a small town already enabled people to get in touch with an almost “new world” - even more so in times long before the arrival of modern communication when people depended on direct personal contact!
Moving from this small town to study at the Technical University in the capital of Vienna marked a further decisive step for Steiner. There for the first time he was completely immersed in the world of education, intellectual and spiritual exchange, political discussion and social change. The work as a librarian and the editing of Goethe's natural scientific writings brought him into touch with people from all straits of society, although mainly with an academic background.
In a city like Vienna educated people formed private clubs or societies to discuss the prevalent issues of the time. At the turn of the century questions regarding the origin and development of mankind arose and were now scientifically researched and presented (as Steiner describes with the example of the biologist Ernst Haeckel). At the same time the social question had become one of the central challenges of modern society, with technological advancement on the one hand and often unbearable conditions for the workers on the other. This opposition between workers and owners, as interpreted by Karl Marx, was to become the “revolutionary” force by which many countries would be shaken in the course of the 20th century.
But there is another development which needs to be considered in this context: the above-mentioned growing nationalism which had by now been transformed into nation-wide movements on both the Austrian as well as the Hungarian side, with various peoples living together in one empire. It was thus only a question of time that this explosive condition of an over-sized realm would be hit by a crisis. After various international conflicts on the Balkans, the assassination of the Austrian successor to the throne by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914 and the following declarations of war were almost a “logical consequence” of this state of nationalistic pride, military overestimation and xenophobia. The personal casualties and losses of territories after four years of heavy fighting affected not only many families in Europe, but in the United States as part of its military involvement as well.
