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The Political threats to the Weimar Republic from left + right 1919-23 -…
The Political threats to the Weimar Republic from left + right 1919-23
Timeline of threats
Jan 1919, Berlin-Spartacist uprising to seize power=crushed by German army + Freikorps (ex army soliders)
March 1919, Bavaria-Creation of Soviet Republic=crushed by Freikorps
March 1920, Ruhr-formation of Ruhr Army by 50,000 workers to oppose Kapp Putsch=crushed by German army + Freikorps
March 1921, Merseburg + Halle-"March Operation", uprising of strikes organised by KPD=put down by police
Summer 1923, Saxony-"German October", wave of strikes + creation of SPD/KPD state government=overthrown by German army
Spartacist Uprising
extreme left-wing groups rejected any form of democratic parliament
Karl Liebknecht + Rosa Luxemburg-originally party of USPD, broke away and formed Spartacist Union in Dec 1918
not strong in numbers
didn't represent majority of working class opinion
Aims
revolution followed by communist gov + alliance with Lenin's Russia
cancellation of National Constituent Assembly + all power transferred to Soviet style worker and soldier councils-no central power base
state-run industry + agriculture
creation of worker militias + dismissal of army + police
1st Jan 1919-first congress + formed KPD
followed by revolt in Berlin 5th Jan
newspaper offices taken over
revolutionary committee formed
poorly organised + crushed by army + Freikorps
Luxemburg + Liebknecht murdered, 100 dead
SPD-led gov used army to put down rising due to Ebert-Groener Pact
Army would support Weimar Republic + protect liberal democracy in return for gov arming and equipping armed forces against left-wing militias + revolutionary groups
Soviet Republic in Bavaria
6th April "Bavarian Soviet Republic" proclaimed-run by Toller
gov members were not always well-chosen-regime collapsed in 6 days + Toller replaced by Eugen Levine "potential German Lenin"
Levine plans to abolish paper money + reform education system
organised Red Army similar to Red Army of Soviet Russia
started arresting counterrevolutionaries + on 29th April 1919 8 accused as right-wing spies and executed
thousands of unemployed workers volunteered-20,000
3rd May 1919 Freikorps (30,000) + "White Guards of Capitalism" (9000) defeated Communists after bitter street fights
1000+ killed and 800 men and women arrested and executed by Freikorps-Levine included
Weimar had to rely on Freikorps for survival
Red Rising in Ruhr
Communists formed army of 50,000
By 20th March controlled most of Ruhr
early April Freikorps + army launched full-scale offensive
crushed Red Army
5000 insurgents sought refuge in British Rhineland Zone
"March Operation"
1921 workers revolt led by Communist Workers' Party of Germany
Halle, Leuna, Merseburg + Mansfield
Police troops occupied communist stronghold in Halle-Merseburg-led for armed revolt
failed to gain support and fell to military defeat, weakening of communist influence in Germany
"German October"
SPD/KPD commanded majority + combined to form government in Saxony due to Ebert declaring state of emergency on 26th Sept (transferred power from local govs to regional military commanders)
support failed to materialise-vote on whether to call general strike failed to win majority in favour
Hamburg 23rd Oct uprising swiftly crushed
Troops sent into Saxony-Saxon gov refused to obey orders
ultimatum by Stresemann demanding resignation of KPD ministers
Ebert replaced Zeigner using Article 48
Kapp Putsch
Wolfgang Kapp + General Luttwitz persuaded Freikorps (12,000) to march in Berlin in protest of reduction of army (Treaty of V)
army didn't stop it despite gov requesting it
gov fled to Stuttgart, but Putsch collapsed due to worker's strike
SPD gov called on workers of Berlin + Ger to stop working-capital standstill=Kapp had to flee
Political Assassinations
Aug 1921 Erzberger-signed the armistice-shot dead
Foreign Minister Ratheneau in June 1922-most responsible for signing Treaty of V + signed Treaty of Rapallo with Communist Russia
Left: 22 murders, 10 convicted with death sentences, 17 convicted with severe punishment
Right: 345 murders (326 unpunished), 0 death sentences, 1 severe punishment