Putsches, revolts and army (left wing) Flashcards
1st of January 1919
Sparticists became the KPD (Communist party)
How many representatives of the Spartacists were there in congress?
Only 10 Spartacists which meant that they didnt have a voice.
Who were the leaders of the Spatacists?
Karl Liebknecht
Rosa Luxemburg
5th January 1919
The Spartacists revolt and begin takeover of Berlin
They seize many anti-communist institutions and call for a general strike
Why did the revolt fail?
Liebknecht and Luxemburg were very bad organisers. As part of their revolution commitee they struggled to figure out what to do after taking over Berlin. This lead to a few days of stagnation which allowed for a fightback to proceed which kicked the Spartacists out of Berlin.
Who led the reclaiming of Berlin?
The Freikorps were agressive nationalists led by Walter von Luttwitz. They were a group of informal soldiers who were annoyed by the ending of WW1 and wanted to fight for something.
They were supported by teh Horse Guards of the Army.
It was a very agressive takeover with many deaths…
What happened to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg?
They were both found by the Freikorps and murdered. Their bodies were thrown into the Landwehr Canal. This summoned the end of the botched revolution…
Why did Ebert decide to take such an aggressive approach to this revolution?
Ebert was worried that if this revolution was successful he could have a communist uprising across Germany which would have put him in a very bad position…
What did this cause between the KPD and the SPD?
There was a biterness between the SPD (who were in charge) and the KPD because of Ebert’s aggressiveness in reclaiming Berlin which led to the deaths of many KPD members. This would be significant later as the KPD never forget what the SPD did.
What was the situation of Bavaria?
Bavaria became an independant socialist republic as Kurt Eisner overthrew the monarchy of Bavaria. It was called the People’s State of Bavaria and it’s capital was Munich.
What happened in Bavaria in April 1919?
Eisner get’s assasinated by a Nationalist on his way to resigning from the government. For a short period of time a communist ‘Independant Soviet Republic of Bavaria’ was set up after the USPD take over. However 2 days later the KPD declares a Communist Republic in Bavaria.
What does Ebert do to stop the communist takeover of Bavaria?
Ebert sends the Freikorps to supress the uprising in Munich in May 1919. The Freikorps were absolutely ruthless and killed thousands of communists. Their nationalist extreme right wing ideologies meant that they showed no mercy. This was known as the White Terror.
Did it work?
In the end, Ebert’s use of the Freikorps was successful as he stopped a communist uprising from taking place. However this further created a rift between the SPD and KPD.
