TRIER, BONN AND BERLIN 37Marx's closest friend in the Circle, whose other members included indi-
viduals such as the financiers Camphausen and Hansemann, both future
Prime Ministers of Prussia, the industrialists Mevissen and Malinckrodt,
and a large number of young intellectuals such as Moses Hess, who had
perhaps the best claim to have introduced communist ideas into Germany.
It was natural that the Circle should welcome the idea of a newspaper to
propagate their doctrines. Already in 1840 a paper with the title Rheinische
Allgemeine Zeitung had been founded by a group who considered that the
Kolnische Zeitung did not adequately defend their social and economic
interests. When it was evident that this paper would soon become bank-
rupt, Georg Jung and Moses Hess persuaded leading rich liberals of the
Rhineland, including Camphausen, Mevissen and Oppenheim, to form a
company which bought out the Rheinische Allgemeine Zeitung (in order to
avoid having to renegotiate a concession) and republished it from
1 January 1842 under the title Rheinische Zeitung.^148 The sub-heading of
the paper was 'For Politics, Commerce and Industry', and its declared
object was to defend the interests of the numerous Rhineland middle
class whose aims were to safeguard the Napoleonic Code Civil and the
principle of equality of all citizens before the law, and ultimately to bring
about the political and economic unification of all Germany - aspirations
that necessarily led them to oppose Prussia's religious policies and semi-
feudal absolutism.
The holding company of the Rheinische Zeitung had no lack of money
and started with a share capital of over 30,00 0 thalers. They were, how-
ever, unlucky in their initial choice of editors. Moses Hess had taken the
leading part in founding the paper and had consequently expected to be
appointed editor; but the financial backers did not want a revolutionary
in the editorial chair. Their chief aim was to campaign for measures that
would help the expansion of industry and commerce, such as an extension
of the customs unions, accelerated railway construction and reduced postal
charges. So the shareholders offered the editorship first to the protection-
ist economist Friedrich List and then (when he was forced to decline for
health reasons) to Hoeffken, editor of the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung
and a follower of List. Swallowing his pride, Hess accepted a post as sub-
editor with special reference to France. Renard, Oppenheim and Jung
were appointed directors. Since Oppenheim and particularly Jung had
been converted by Hess to Young Hegelian radicalism, friction soon
developed between them and Hoeffken. He refused to accept articles
from the Berlin Young Hegelians and was obliged to resign (on 18 January
1842 ) - declaring himself 'no adept of neo-Hegelianism'.^149
Hoeffken was replaced by Rutenberg, brother-in-law of Bruno Bauer.
He was supported by Marx, who had taken part in discussions on the