Thanks everyone. I think Emil’s explanation makes the most sense given the contexts.
On Wed, Feb 18, 2026 at 6:44 AM Karin Perrin <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Emil > I wonder if my explanation sent a few minutes ago is wrong - > Or are there two possible meanings depending on the context? > > Kind regards > Karin > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] < > [email protected]> On Behalf Of Emil Rennert > Sent: 18 February 2026 08:26 > To: Andrew Mathis <[email protected]> > Cc: CZERNOWITZ-L <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [czernowitz-l] Q about a German political term > > Hello Andrew, > > You're spot on. The term comes from the German word "Faust" (fist) and is > derived from the common German idiom "auf eigene Faust," which means to do > something on one’s own initiative, at one's own risk, or without outside > help. > > In the specific context of Bukovina and early 20th-century > Austria-Hungary, a "Faustkandidat" was essentially a "wild" or rogue > candidate. These individuals typically ran for office against their own > party's official lines, often because they failed to get the formal > nomination but decided to run anyway based on their own local reputation or > personal initiative. > > They were often seen as spoilers or representatives of splinter groups who > forced their way into the contest to disrupt the established party > machinery. While you will see the term frequently in historical archives > from that era, such as the Czernowitzer Tagblatt, it is not used in modern > German politics today. A modern speaker would instead use the term "wilder > Kandidat" or "parteilos" to describe an independent. > > It is a great find—it really captures the "rough and tumble" nature of the > political landscape in Bukovina at the time. > > Best regards, > Emil > > > On Wed, Feb 18, 2026 at 7:41 AM Andrew Mathis <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > Hello, > > > > I’ve been reading Thomas Hensellek’s German-language book on Bukovina > just before WWI, and he uses the term “Faustkandidat” in several instances. > I searched the word online and it appears exclusively (as far as I can > tell) in publications from Bukovina. Clearly it was a local term of some > kind, perhaps slang. Would anyone here be able to tell me what it means? > > > > Thanks, > > Andrew > > ________________________________ > > ________________________________ > > This moderated discussion group is for information exchange on the > > subject of Czernowitz and Sadagora Jewish History and Genealogy. 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