Starvation, Participation, and Exclusion.

Friedrich Justus Riedel and the Bread Riot of Erfurt, 1771

Abstract

In 1771, as Germany was experiencing one of the worst famines in its history, the people of Erfurt turned against the city’s mayor, Siegmund Lebrecht Hadelich. The mayor, who was also a professor of cameral sciences at the university, was accused of hoarding grain, speculating on the shortage and publicly advocating the virtues of free trade. This upheaval provides an opportunity to analyse how the demand for the fundamental right to food has led to a dual process of attempts to expand and contract political participation rights. Surprisingly, the rioters received unexpected support from another university professor, the aesthetic philosopher Friedrich Justus Riedel (1742–1785). For Riedel, the riot was an opportunity to examine the place of the common man in society, his right to speak, and his political competence. This article summarizes the initial results of a project carried out as part of a French habilitation à diriger les recherches.