German revolution 1918-1919 2 Flashcards
Revolution from above
- September 1918 it is clear the war has been lost
- Hindenburg/Ludendorf pressure Kaiser to appoint new government of biggest parties in the reichstag
- Germany goes from dictatorship>parliamentary democracy
- Power of Kaiser is weakened, as he is now only a ceremonial head of state
The new government of late 1918
- Prince Max of Boden, Head of German Red Cross, political lightweight
- Philip Scheidenmann (SPD)
- Matthias Erzberger (Centre Party)
Why was a new government formed in late 1918
- Hindeburg/Ludendorf/Key generals/aids to Kaiser’s autocracy (all power in hands of 1) beleive democratic Germany will receive fairer treatment from the victorious allies
- Hoped that blame for the war would be shifted onto Prince Max’s government
- -> Prince Max acknowledged this but accepted it as a patriotic duty
- Hindenburg and Ludendorf rejected democracy, so creation of a parliamentary democracy shows how desperate they were
November 1918: Prince Max’s cease fire talks
-Prince Max proposes cease fire with Americans, who say they will only agree if Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates
Admiral Scheer’s actions November 1918
- Scheer orders high seas fleet to launch final attack on the British as a matter of honour
- Scheer does not ask for permission for the attack from Prince Max’s government as he does not hold himself accountable to civilian politics
Consequences of Scheer’s actions November 1918
- Sailors condemn Scheer’s orders as a suicide mission
- Sailors refuse to obey orders and return to base at Kiel on the Baltic Sea (Mutiny)
- Sailors seize port and set up a Soviet (elected of workers/soildiers) council
Repercussions of sailor’s mutiny at Kiel November 1918
- No action taken by government against the mutineers, so people realise control of the imperial ruling class has been lost
- Other cities set up socialist dominated soviet councils in major cities ie Berlin
- By 9th November Germany is run at local level by socialists
- Soviets dominated by Social democrats
Abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II November 1918
- Abdicated on the 9th November 1918
- Causes: accumulation of…
(i) Pressure from above (war tired ministers)
(ii) pressure from below (loss of army support and anger of people) - Armistice on 11th November 1918
- Kaiser Wilhelm II flees to Holland
New Socialist control
- Abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II followed by submission of Prince Max
- New 6 man government made up exclusively of Socialists, led by Freidrich Ebert
- Interim (temporary) government
- Tasked with overseeing creation of a new government
Define Marxism
- Variety of Socialism
- Associated with Karl Marx
- States that in industrial societies, working class will rise up and overthrow the ruling class by revolutionary means
Define Communism
- Karl Marx’s brand of Socialism
- Parties committed to Marxist ideas are Communist parties
Define Bolsheviks
-Revolutionary Socialists who seized power in Russia in October 1917
Main aims of the moderate/extreme socialists in November 1918
- SPD moderates: wanted to establish democratic republic and see socialist principles furthered by democratic means
- Independent Socialists (Spartacists): Envisaged state controlled by working class representatives (like Soviet Russia)
- Majority of Social Democrats were moderates, presented case for national assembly to draw up new constitution. 344-98 vote for national assembly at conference of all Soviets
Social democrats December 1918
- Led by Freidrich Ebert, Philip Scheideman, Gustav Noske
- Wanted Socialism by democratic means
- Wanted parliament elected by all German people
- Disagreed with Spartacists as imposing system run by workers deprived majority of citizens of equal representation
Spartacus League (Communists) December 1918
- Led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxenburg
- Wanted to impose Socialism by revolutionary means
- Wanted political system run by local Soviet councils
- Disagreed with Social Democrats because they believed that giving the vote to all Germans would give control back to the middle/upper classes, who would ensure Germany would be a capitalist (not socialist) country