Revolution 1918-1919 - Spartacist Revolt Flashcards
What did the revolt involve
Various public protests which often turned violent
What happened 24th December 1918
Public protest ended in bloody battle with army resulting in 34 dead
What happened January 1919
A protest against the dismissal of a radical officer turned into demand from workers for more change
Who backed the protests
Spartacist League, KPD and USPD
What happened 7th January 1919
A general strike which 500,000 took part in
Some of the leaders plotted a coup over Ebert’s gov
Why was Ebert worried about the future of the new republic
Commies and right nationalists were engaging in street battles across the country which could have lead to a civil war
How did Ebert stop the protest spreading
He ordered the army to stop the rising
Who did the army have support from
The freikorps violent group of former soldiers
Who was killed in the protest
The leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht and 100 protestors
What marked the end of the revolution
The suppression of the Spartacist rising in January 1919
What did the revolution cause
Permanently divided the KPD and SPD
KPD never forgave SPD for their actions
Why was Ebert still supported by most Germans
Ordinary Germans wanted normality after war not an unstable country
Middle classes and civil services and army wanted order restored
What did the revolt highlight
Major failing of the republic as it was forced to rely on the army to survive
Meant in the future amry might choose not to follow orders or back the gov
A.J. Nicholls
Ebert wanted to stabilise Germany and resisted the chaos a radical left gov might have brought, supported by most Germans in ending the Spartacist revolt
Eric Weitz
Ebert wanted to avoid Soviet style revolution as he believed it would bring economic chaos and political terror
