Talk:Academic fencing

1. A LITTLE HISTORY
the origin of the Burschenschaften (B!) was not only comradeship, but it had a real politcal background: in 1813 it was a revolutionary movement for the union of Germany (against feudalism and the many many tiny states that disenabled a strong german policy). the students - being protagonists of the elite of the society, were fighting in these groups for freedom of thought and political influence of the citizens.

over the years the political directions got adapted to the changes of history - f.e. the B! in the eastern regions of the empire (Silesia etc.) got more important when those regions were in danger, many B! of our time have names that remind of those lost territories. During Third Reich they got technically eliminated and had to surrender fully to German Students Union. Of course many continued their work in the shade. The B! had many losses of lives during their history and monuments remind of those times (Eisenach, Jena etc.)

note that even Theodor Herzl (the founder of Israel) and Viktor Adler (and others) were members of very extreme nationalistic B! . but of course many famous non-jews were in B! as well. this I mention because in today's Germany/Austria the socialists try to emerge a certain nazism out of the B! in general (by "genetical reasons" one could almost say...), but these people don't know about those famous jewish-members (or they don't want to know).

as there are many B! in Austria and Germany, they have a wide political horizon (but always being conservative) - some are christian (Kartellverband), some are rather supporting the nobels (Corps-Studenten) others are truly German-national, which is getting important in Austria before (and after) WW I, when the torso of the Habsburg empire was without orientation and many of the german-ethnical citizens wanted to unite with Wilhemine empire.

those with the Mensur (duells) are the German-national orientated ("Schlagende Verbindungen"). they see the Mensur as a ritual/test for manhood, bravery and discipline. to become a "Bursche" one has to run through several, strictly defined states/positions, each student has to do several Mensuren, which are as well strictly regulated.

besides that the B! support the students during their period at the university, the houses (they all have very nice old houses, where the boys can stay for less money) are meeting points for communications of all kinds. the seniors (Altherren) help along as much as they can, as well with jobs etc.

they wear their ribbon and their kepi, each B! has it’s own traditional colours. Many ribbons are black-red-gold, to manifest their support of the great-german solution (Großdeutsche Lösung) in opposition to those wearing the black-white-red ribbon – but this would lead too far into german historical details.

all of these things are private, no public is allowed, women are only present during public-days, feasts, balls etc. there are also girls-groups (Mädelschaft), but these are rather groups for communication etc.

all in all the B! are one last bastion of "good old Germany", they are of course very conservative and they try to offer the youngsters something beyond Mc-Fat and Coca Cola…

needless to say that the socialists tried to turn that down several times and the so called anti-fascistic-groups try to disturb conferences organised by the B! (ILSA, 16.4.06)

Backswording
"An eccentric specialized variety—we may call it a “sport”—of the sabre is the narrow and flexible “Schlager” with which German students fight their duels (for the most part not arising out of any quarrel, but set trials of skill), under highly conventional rules almost identical with those of the old “backswording” practised within living memory, in which, however, the swords were represented by sticks. These “Schlager” duels cause much effusion of blood, but not often serious danger to life or limb."

- Pollock 1911



Until I read this I did not know that in the 19th century a "sport" called "backswording" was practised in Britain/US? with "rules almost identical" to “Schlager” duels. There is a Wikiepdia article on the backsword and the the practising with a singlestick.

It is probably worth including a sentence on this in this article about this, or at least a link in the "See also" section. -- PBS (talk) 15:22, 22 July 2020 (UTC)