Previous

Summary

The Spartacist League was a radical left-wing movement which aimed to remove the aristocrats and establish a Soviet-style communist system in Germany.  Its leader, Karl Liebknecht suupported the November revolution, but opposed the interim government set up by Ebert and the Moderate MSPD Socialists.

A crisis occurred when Ebert sacked Eichhorn, the popular left-wing Berlin Chief of Police, for refuing to attack a People's Brigade which had kidnapped an MSPD minister to try to get payment of their wages.  There was a huge demonstration in support of Eichhorn, which ended up occupying buildings in the newspaper district of Berlin. 

Liebnecht and the Spartacists joined the protesters and set up a revolutionary committee to overthrow the government.  They were supported by a huge general strike. 

Ebert appealed to the Freikorps – bands of right-wing former soldiers – who attacked the (unprepared) insurgents and slaughtered more than 100 of them.  Liebknecht and Luxemburg were murdered. 

The interim government survived, and formed the Weimar Republic.   Copycat uprisings all over Germany were brutally put down.   Liebknecht's and Luxemburg's murderers were leniently treated.  The left-wing never again supported the MSPD, which weakened the Republic from the start.

 

 

The Spartacist Uprising, 1919

Causes

  1. The Spartacus League: had been founded in August 1914 by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg as a left-wing socialist group to oppose the war in the Reichstag.  Its aims were to eliminate the aristocratic Prussian Junker class, to abolish the Reichstag, and to create a republic of workers' and soldiers' soviets. 

  2. Ebert-Groener Pact: On 9 November 1918, the Kaiser abdicated and Friedrich Ebert took charge of an interim government as leader of the MSPD (the moderate Democratic Socialists).  Ebert had made a secret pact with General Groener that the Army would support his government if he promised to fight against Communism. 

  3. Foundation of the KPD: On the same day, 9 November 1918, Liebknecht – leader of the radical USPD – proclaimed the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.  On 31 December 1918 Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg founded the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).  They wanted a MUCH more radical future for Germany than Ebert and the MSPD.

  4. The Christmas Crisis: On 23 December, the Volksmarinedivision (a left-wing armed unit formed during the November revolution to protect the government), which was demanding payment of wages, took the Chairman of the MSPD hostage.  When Berlin’s Police Chief (Emil Eichhorn of the USPD) refused to attack the protesters, Ebert turned to the Army – resulting in dozens of deaths.  The USPD objected, and the 3 USPD members in the government resigned.  

  5. Eichhorn sacked: On 4 January Ebert dismissed Eichhorn and replaced him by Eugen Ernst, an MSPD government minister and business executive of the Vorwärts newspaper.  The USPD called for a protest demonstration.

 

Events

  • The demonstration on 5 January was huge, and turned violent.  However, instead of attacking the government buildings, the demonstrators were persuaded by secret police ‘plants’ to attack the newspaper district, whch included the Vorwärts printing buildings. 

  • On the evening of 5 January, Liebknecht and the KPD joined the protesters, set up a revolutionary committee to overthrow the government, and called for a general strike.  Half-a-million workers went out on strike; they carried banners saying ‘Peace and unity’. 

  • The government moved to Weimar to escape the violence. 

  • There was a period of confusion.  Rosa Luxemburg did not support armed uprising.  The USPD tried to negotiate with Ebert, but that failed. 

  • Ebert called on the Freikorps – private armies of right-wing former soldiers – to support the government.  He also called on the workers to oppose the rebellion.  A leaflet was distributed threatening “the hour of reckoning approaches!”  Most of the strikers went home. 

  • On 10 January the Freikorps Reinhard Brigade attacked the Spartacists using flame throwers, machine guns, mortars and artillery.  The insurgents, taken by surprise, mainly surrendered – the attackers nevertheless summarily shot more than a hundred insurgents and uninvolved civilians, surrendered or not.  Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were captured by the Wilmersdorf Citizens' Militia and publicly murdered.  These events came to be known as ‘Bloody Week’. 

 

Results

  1. The defeat of the uprising allowed the government to hold elections and form the Weimar State. 

  2. The fact that the Government had moved to Weimar to avoid the violence explains why it is called ‘The Weimar Republic’. 

  3. The uprising led to socialist uprisings throughout Germany (notably the Bavarian Socialist Republic); they were brutally put down. 

  4. It was four months before Liebknecht’s and Luxemburg’s murderers were put before a military court.  Most of the militia involved were never tried and the rest were acquitted, apart from two, who received short prison sentences (24 and 28 months).  The Army took one of them (Kurt Vogel) out of prison and helped him flee to Holland.

  5. The communists and many of Germany’s working class never supported the Social Democrats again, which meant that the Republic had to be led by coalition governments from the start. 

 

 

 

Consider:

Study the events of the Uprising and analyse them into two columns of 'Messages for the Weimar Government':

   •  Reasons for Hope;

   •  Causes for Concern.

 

Previous