History: Political Influences on Coffee
In Muslim countries, the closing of coffeehouses was ordered by the Bey of Cairo in 1511, by the Sultan of Mecca in 1524, and by the Great Vizier Koprulu in 1656.
In 1675, Charles II of England issued an edict abolishing cafes, “places of idleness where His Majesty is defamed”, because of scandalous rumors implicating the king and his ministers.
However, he repealed the ordinance because of “Royal compassion”; actually, he was forced to do so because of demonstration against this edict.
In Germany, the Landgrave Frederick of Hesse prohibited coffee houses in 1773. Frederick II the Great of Prussia held the monopoly of the importation of coffee up until his death.
Since coffee consumption in Prussia was very high, coffee importations were a burden on the State budget and caused a loss to brewers and producers of barley and hops.
As a consequence, Frederick II increased taxes and forbade “anyone from roasting the beans”. Even though he himself appreciated coffee, he declared that “workmen, and farm girls and other manual workers had no reason to drink coffee”; and that “he was sickened to note increased coffee consumption by his subjects who, on the contrary should drink beer as he and his workers did.
Many battles were won by beer drinking soldiers and he added that he did not think that coffee drinking soldiers would capable of withstanding hardship and could beat the enemy.
In spite of these exhortations, Germany was the largest consumer of coffee in Europe in the 19th century and currently Germans drink more coffee than beer.
In Scandinavia, coffee was subject to high taxes because of pressure from the medical community which considered its use excessive and wished to limit it.
In fact. coffee consumption was actually forbidden in four times: in 1745, 1794, 1796 and 1766, it was only starting in 1853 that its consumption was again unrestricted.
History: Political Influences on Coffee
