It is believed that the November Revolution, beginning in November 1918, ended in the summer of 1919. However, the revolutionary battles continued in Germany until the autumn of 1923, culminating in the Hamburg Uprising (whose 95th anniversary we celebrate in October).
The revolution began with an uprising of sailors in the city of Kiel. By early November, it was already clear that Germany was losing the First World War. But the high command decided to send a navy to the final battle in order to wrest acceptable conditions of peace from the Entente. Not wanting a meaningless death, the sailors spoke on November 3, the workers supported them. The uprising spread to other areas of Germany. On November 9, a general strike began in Berlin, growing into an uprising. Emperor Wilhelm II fled to Holland.
The further development of the situation, however, did not go beyond the framework of the bourgeois-democratic revolution. The workers of Germany were under the influence of the Social Democrats, who by the beginning of the revolution were divided into two parties: the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (NSPD). The first occupied frankly right positions. The latter, standing on “centrist” positions, were maneuvering and, at the most crucial moment, moving in agreement with the bourgeoisie.
Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
The revolutionary Marxists created the Spartak alliance during the war. Spartacists were led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. On December 30, 1918, the Spartacists united with other radical left groups and created the German Communist Party (KKE).
After the overthrow of the monarchy in the country, a government was formed, in which the right-wing Social Democrats dominated. At the same time, the Soviets began to emerge - the authorities of the working class. However, due to the fact that the workers were under the influence of the Social Democrats, the Soviets did not fight for full power in the country.
Certain mistakes were made by the German Communists. Thus, the Communists did not put forward any slogans and programs that would attract the German peasantry to the side of the revolution. It is known that R. Luxemburg dogmatically criticized the Russian Bolsheviks for transferring land from the landlords to the peasants. In her opinion, this state should immediately create state-collective farms. However, the course of history showed the correctness of the Bolsheviks: in Russia, the working peasantry supported the socialist revolution, while in Germany it was left aside. The revolution in Germany was raging in large cities, without affecting the rural hinterland and its inhabitants.
Thus, in Germany there was no slogan either “power to the Soviets” or “land to the peasants”, and peace — a difficult peace as a result of defeat in the war — had already come.
The peak of the revolutionary battles were the events of January 5 - 12, 1919. The reason for them was, by decision of the government, the resignation of an independent social democrat from the post of chief of the Berlin police. The workers — communists and left-wing Social Democrats — came out in protest demonstrations that escalated into an uprising: the demonstrators began to seize important buildings in Berlin. But the workers were not armed, and the army did not support the rebels. The counterrevolution introduced its armed gangs into the city, the Freikor, formed mainly of reactionary-minded soldiers and officers. The uprising was drowned in blood. On January 15, Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were captured by counter-revolutionaries and killed.
After that, the revolutionary struggle broke out in other cities. The most striking event of the spring of 1919 was the struggle of the Bavarian Soviet Republic, which existed from April 13 to May 1. The region of Bavaria became the only region where the Soviets went beyond the "local issues", and a workers' government was formed. Since April 13, it was headed by a communist Eugene Levin. The Bavarian Soviet Republic was crushed by counterrevolutionary gangs, Levin was killed.
Among the counterrevolutionaries was, and then still unknown to, the corporal Hitler.
Attempts to establish the Soviet republics were in other cities and regions - in Bremen, in Alsace and others.
A revolutionary upswing was observed in the spring of 1920 in the mining district of the Ruhr. In response to an attempt by the anti-republic insurgency, the workers formed the Ruhr Red Army. But in the battles against the army and the "Fraykor" poorly trained workers were defeated.
In March 1921, the clashes took place in the region of Central Germany - Saxony. Workers' speeches began after the police began to arrest the Communists. Disturbances escalated into armed clashes, but again poorly trained rebels could not successfully confront government forces.
A new upsurge of the fight occurred by October 1923. In the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, governments were formed with the participation of left-wing social democrats and communists. The workers armed themselves and created combat detachments, preparing for a fight with the counter-revolution. The central government was frightened that the trend would spread to other areas: in order to prevent socialist changes, troops were transferred to Saxony and Thuringia.
The Communist Party of Germany then headed for an armed uprising throughout the country. However, since 1921, right-wing opportunists led by Heinrich Brandler began to play a leading role in the leadership of the Communist Party. Brandler overturned the earlier decision on the uprising.
The fact that the uprising was canceled, was unknown to the Communists of Hamburg. On the morning of October 23, 1923, the revolutionary workers of Hamburg and its outskirts, under the leadership of their leader Ernst Thalmann, began to seize police stations. The city was covered with barricades. The government threw troops and police against the rebels.
The uprising, limited to the city of Hamburg and its outskirts, without support in other areas was doomed to defeat. Seeing that the Hamburg proletariat was fighting alone, Telman gave the order to stop the uprising, the workers left the barricades.
After separate clashes, left-wing governments in Saxony and Thuringia were dispersed. The Communist Party of Germany was officially banned.
The Hamburg Uprising of October 1923 ended the period of revolutionary battles that took place in Germany from November 1918. Unlike Russia, where the Bolshevik party was, Germany met its anti-monarchist revolution without a party that could lead the proletariat to victory. This led to the defeat of the revolutionary socialist forces.
Beginning in 1923, after the First World War, in general, economic stabilization began in Western Europe. In such conditions, the revolutionary struggle began to decline.
In Germany, the regime of the so-called “Weimar Republic” strengthened, the characteristic feature of which was the power of the right-wing Social Democrats. As history has shown, the "Weimar Republic" turned out to be a "transitional period" - in the period between the two world wars - to the fascist dictatorship.
In 1918 - 1923, Europe had a chance to go the other way. It would be realized in case of victory of the revolutionary forces in Germany. But due to objective and subjective reasons for the development of the situation, this chance was not realized.
Dar Vetrov
