It’s 1920 and Friedrich Ebert’s government are struggling to control the Freikorps. The year before, the Freikorps had saved the government, crushing a communist uprising known as the Spartacist Revolt, but now the Freikorps are becoming a growing problem for the German government, which is still weak and facing opposition from both the left and right. #GCSEHistory #GCSERevision #WeimarGermany PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/alonglongtimeago ***---Useful resources---*** Quizlet Flashcards: Coming soon Practice exam-style questions: Coming soon For other Weimar & Nazi Germany exam-style questions (inc. source & interpretations questions): https://quizlet.com/_6cqa3d Revision Notes: - By 1920, Ebert’s government were struggling to control the Freikorps - Mar 1920, Freikorps units near Berlin were due to be disbanded - This made them fear unemployment so they turned on the Republic - 5000 armed men marched on Berlin - Ebert ordered General Seeckt (head of the Reichswehr), to resist the rebels - General Seeckt told Ebert that ‘Reichswehr does not open fire upon Reichswehr’ - The rebels soon gained control of the city - The rebels put forward right-wing politician, Wolfgang Kapp, as a figurehead leader, declaring a new government in Germany & inviting the Kaiser to return from exile - In fear of their lives, the government fled to Weimar and then to Stuttgart - The government encouraged passive resistance, urging people to go on strike and not cooperate - Many workers obliged - their socialist leanings meant they did not want to see the return of the Kaiser - Essential services, (gas, electricity, water and transport) in the city, ground to a halt - After 4 days, Kapp realised he couldn't govern and fled - Kapp was caught and put in prison, where he later died - The rebellion collapsed and the Weimar ministers returned The challenge of ongoing political violence 1919-23: - They also faced a series of political assassinations, on top of the Spartacist & Kapp uprisings - 1919, Hugo Haase, one of Ebert’s council of the People's Representatives, was murdered - Aug 1921, Matthias Erzberger, the politician who signed the armistice, was shot and killed - Jun 1922, Walther Rathenau, Weimar foreign minister, was machine gunned to death in Berlin - 1919-1922, in total, there were 376 political murders - Most victims were left-wing or moderate politicians - Not a single right-wing murderer was convicted and executed, whilst 10 left wing assassins were - Judges were sympathetic to the right-wing and even undermined the Weimar Republic in courts - Most parties chose to hire armed men to guard their meetings - They often recruited unemployed ex-soldiers - The KPD’s private army were the Rotfrontkämpfer (red front fighters) - The DNVP’s were the Stahlhelm (Steel Helmets) - The SPD had the Reichsbanner Schwartz-Rot-Gold (Back Red Gold Flag) - Political armies were initially for protection, though their presence often caused violence FOR FULL NOTES FOLLOW LINK: https://quizlet.com/_59lgnv?x=1jqt&i=1fj39y ***---Social Media---*** Twitter: https://twitter.com/alongtimeago_YT || @alongtimeago_YT Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alonglongtimeago Insta: https://www.instagram.com/alonglongtimeago || @alonglongtimeago https://www.facebook.com/alongtimeagoYT/