Josef Munzinger

Martin Josef Munzinger ( born November 11, 1791 in Olten, † February 6, 1855 in Bern, usually called Josef Munzinger ) was a Swiss businessman, revolutionary and politician. He led in 1830 brought about the downfall of the Conservative government of the canton of Solothurn in 1848 and chosen as one of the first federal council of the Swiss Federal State. Munzinger belonged to the liberal- radical faction (now the FDP).

Two of his sons also gained notoriety: Walther Munzinger (1830-1873) was a lawyer, canon lawyer and a founder of the Christian Catholic Church. Also known as Munzinger Werner Munzinger Pasha (1832-1875) was Orientalist and explorer.

Biography

Youth

The second eldest son of a wealthy businessman Oltner Conrad Munzinger was educated at the college in Solothurn, in the convent school in Muri and the college in Fribourg. After passing her exams, he completed a commercial apprenticeship in Bologna. The 1798 overthrew hereditary patricians of the town of Solothurn fell in January 1814, established by the Napoleonic Act of Mediation government, which Munzinger was politically radicalized.

Munzinger was involved in the protest movement against the coup. He and his brother Ulrich were arrested in May and charged with civil disobedience. They came on June 2, 1814 at the ( ultimately unsuccessful ) coup attempt by the liberal forces again. Josef Munzinger fled to Como into exile and was sentenced to three years' banishment. As a result of operations in the Russian ambassador amnesty he could return in the same year. From 1817 he held the office of town clerk of Olten and operative farming on the land of his parents, from politics but he held out largely.

Canton policy

After the July Revolution of 1830 in France Munzinger became politically active again and joined the Liberals. On 22 December 1830, one month after the Ustertag in the canton of Zurich, a public meeting was held in the Canton of Solothurn. In Balsthal Munzinger proclaimed in front of around 2,500 listeners the sovereignty of the people and placed 17 demands. In particular, the demand for the abolition of tithes was very well received by the rural population. The aristocratic government had to give in and withdraw the pressure.

On January 13, 1831 a new constitution came into force, which conceded the previously disadvantaged rural population more political rights. Munzinger was subsequently elected in both the Small Council ( cantonal government ) as well as in the Grand Council. After the elections of 1833 Munzinger was 15 years Landammann and making him Chairman of the cantonal government. Under his leadership, equality before the law, the tithes were in the canton of Solothurn realized abolished, reformed the school system and improved infrastructure. In addition, Munzinger was President of the Grand Council in the years 1833/34, 1837/38 and 1840.

With the revision of the constitution in January 1841, the liberal forces prevailed final. However, Munzinger had to put into the law to prevent similar events like the Züriputsch against the Catholic- Democratic Conservative Party ( bloodless verlaufendem ) tailgating cannons. That the old liberals of Schlage Munzinger were indeed liberal, but nevertheless remained Roman Catholic, is the fact that Catholicism in this Constitution still remained privileged denomination.

Federal policy

Munzinger represented the canton of Solothurn in 1831 at the confederate hearing. Although he advocated the Baden articles, but he let not ratify by its Canton this. He secured the consent of the Great Council, for the use of armed force to vote in the liquidation of the League. After the liberal cantons had won in November 1847 Sonderbundskrieg, Munzinger was involved in the drafting of the Federal Constitution. He successfully lobbied for a bicameral parliament.

On November 16, 1848 Munzinger, who had been appointed a month before the Senate was elected by the Federal Assembly in the Bundesrat. He received the second ballot 71 of 132 votes cast. However, he was not present at the election, as he was staying at the time as the federal commissioner in the canton of Ticino.

As the first head of the Department of Finance was his main task is to create the legal basis for the adoption of a single currency. He broke the resistance of the eastern Swiss cantons, which had close economic ties with South Germany and the florin preferred. Munzinger put the decimal in the French style by 1850 and could introduce the Swiss franc. After Munzinger had been vice president for one year, he took over in 1851 for a year, the Office of the Federal President, and as such was - as was customary - the Political Department ( Ministry of Foreign Affairs ) before.

1852 Munzinger returned to the Department of Finance, in 1853 and 1854 he was head of the post and Baudepartements. He suffered from a serious, not exactly diagnosed disease and could for months of treatments in Baden and Bad Ragaz not often participate in the Federal Council meetings. Although he was already heavily drawn from his illness and was suffering from depression, to Munzinger left in December 1854 again confirmed in office and took over the trade and Customs Department. At the Federal Council meeting of 31 January 1855, he broke down a week later he died at the age of 63 years.