''De Roode Duivel'' (English: ''The Red Devil'') was a Dutch

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

antireligious Antireligion is opposition to religion or traditional religious beliefs and practices. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe oppos ...

, republican,

humor Humour ( Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids i ...

ist

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

weekly magazine. The weekly was edited by Louis Maximiliaan Hermans (who would later become a Member of Parliament and Senator), and was published from 1 August 1892 until 13 December 1897.Nop Maas, 'De Roode Duivel' in 'Satirische tijdschriften in Nederland', in: ''De Parelduiker'' 3 (1998), p. 33–39. On DBNL
/ref> ''De Roode Duivel'' had a circulation of several thousands of copies. Hermans, who was initially a member of the revolutionary

Social Democratic League The Social Democratic League (, SDB) was a Socialism, socialist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 1881, the SDB was the first socialist party to enter the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives. Party hi ...

, also used the magazine to criticise the parliamentarist Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP). Under the mottos of "Tegen troon, tegen beurs, tegen altaar" ( Against throne, against bourse, against altar) and "Ontmaskering! Geen genade" (Exposure! No mercy), the magazine was filled with

gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Etymology The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...

and

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

lous stories to discredit the

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

and

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

with satire. For example, Hermans invented the fabrication that not king

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...

, but adjutant S.M.S. de Ranitz was the real father of the then underage queen Wilhelmina. It was clear to contemporary readers that this was willfully made-up satire, and historians agree the story is false. However, it has since taken a life on its own as a

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

, invoked by some republicans to question the current

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

's legitimacy to rule. In the 30 August 1895 issue of ''De Roode Duivel'', on the occasion of a royal visit to the town of

Meppel Meppel (; Drents: ''Möppelt'') is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It constitutes the southwestern part of the province of Drenthe. Meppel is the smallest municipality in Drenthe, with a total area of about . As of 1 July ...

, the queens Emma and Wilhelmina were depicted as gymnastic moves performing ballet dancers on a wagon. Although they were not named, both figures were wearing a little crown with the letters W and E. The accompanying article featured the title: "Come and see!! Come and see!!" This led to a complaint against Hermans for

lèse-majesté ''Lèse-majesté'' or ''lese-majesty'' ( , ) is an offence or defamation against the dignity of a ruling head of state (traditionally a monarch but now more often a president) or of the state itself. The English name for this crime is a mod ...

, and a demand by the public prosecutor for a one-year prison sentence; on 18 December 1895, the editor-in-chief was convicted to six months imprisonment. When he got out of prison, his return was celebrated at the

Paleis voor Volksvlijt The Paleis voor Volksvlijt (Palace of Industry) was a large exhibition hall in Amsterdam, located on the Frederiksplein, near the current location of De Nederlandsche Bank. The building was constructed between 1859 and 1864. It was designed by ...

. Meanwhile, Hermans' views on tactics had been shifting. Whilst radicals such as

Domela Nieuwenhuis Domela is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *César Domela (1900–1992), Dutch sculptor, painter, photographer, typographer, and key member of the De Stijl movement *Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis Ferdinand Jacobus Domela Nieu ...

became

anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or hierarchy, primarily targeting the state and capitalism. Anarchism advocates for the replacement of the state w ...

, Hermans followed the others of the Socialist League (more and more of whom were defecting to the SDAP) in gradually abandoning their

antiparliamentarism A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of the legisl ...

. After investigating the living conditions in the Jewish neighbourhood of Amsterdam in 1897, Hermans stated he was prepared to run for office in local elections to change society by that means. On 13 December 1897, the final issue of ''De Roode Duivel'' was published. In early 1898, Hermans was acting as editor-in-chief (together with J.A. Bergmeijer) of '' Recht voor Allen'' (the Socialist League's party magazine) after Domela Nieuwenhuis' departure, but in December 1898 he also left the Socialist League to join the SDAP, that he had fought against so long in ''De Roode Duivel''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roode Duivel, De 1892 establishments in the Netherlands Atheism in the Netherlands Defunct magazines published in the Netherlands Dutch-language magazines Magazines established in 1892 Magazines disestablished in 1897 Magazines published in Amsterdam Socialism in the Netherlands Socialist magazines Religion in the Netherlands Republicanism in the Netherlands Satirical magazines published in the Netherlands Weekly magazines published in the Netherlands