Although they did not definitively seal their fate, the january fights, which history retained as the spartacist uprising, constituted the first decisive defeat inflicted on a revolutionary process that ended only in 1923. What are the 3 main reasons why the spartacist revolt. They lacked military training and equipment, were a coalition of groups with differing visions for the future of germany and had no clear chain of command. This video looks at the spartacist revolt which began in january 1919. The league was named after spartacus, leader of the largest slave rebellion of the roman republic. Jan, 2014 the vorwarts newspaper building after being retaken by government forces 11 jan 1919 international institute for social history, amsterdam and an antispartacist flyer from the same date deutsches historisches museum dhm, berlin over the weekend of 11 12 january, government forces regained control of berlin from the armed revolutonary forces led by the independent socialists. In january 1919, the communists rose up in revolt in berlin. The spartacus educational website provides a series of free history encyclopaedias. The spartacist uprising failed because of poor leadership rosa luxemburg and simply because they were fighting the friekorps freedom corps who were anti communist veterens of. In spartacist publications she called herself junius, after lucius junius brutus, founder of the roman republic around 500 bc. Spartacist definition of spartacist by merriamwebster. The spartacists, led by liebnecht and luxemburg managed to force the government into negotiations. Feb 25, 2018 the spartacists had very little support outside berlin and the little support that they did have in other parts of germany was not coordinated with the berlin uprising and was far away for example, in munich and hamburg. The kapp putsch of 1920 involved a rebellion by members of the freikorps when the weimar government tried to disband them.
This book explores the crisis of the german socialist movement and its growth in intensity from the time of the open split of the social democratic party during world war 1 until its climax in the bloody fighting between the radical left and the socialists during the socalled spartacist uprising of january 1919. This book explores the crisis of the german socialist movement and its growth in intensity from the time of the open split of the social democratic party during world war 1 until its climax in the bloody fighting between the radical left and the socialists during the socalled spartacist. The spartacist league and the kapp putsch yr 10 history. The spartacist uprising, also known as the january uprising, was a general strike in berlin from 5 to 12 january 1919. It was carried out by karl liebknecht and his group, the spartakusbund, which had begun as a radical socialist and antiwar faction of the spd. Became the publication of the international spartacist.
In january 1919, the weimar government led by president friedrich ebert and his social democratic party, was challenged by. I find students find this difficult to remember, so i get them to act out the events however they want to as a drama, a tv news report etc. The rebellion is known as the third servile war and was the last of three major slave revolts which rome suppressed. Wjec history russia 190524 the causes and impacts of the. Sparked by the sacking of a police chief in berlin by ebert rebels called for uprising and general strike on 6 january 1919 100,000workers took to the streets. The last days of world war i and the spartacist revolt the abdication of emperor william ii on november 9, 1918, marked the end of the german empire. While he is a popular character in movies and television, there is not a lot of information about him. It got its name from the fact that the constitution for the post war republic was drawn up at the town of. It was founded by karl liebknecht, rosa luxemburg, clara zetkin, and others. The events of spartacist week, as the radical attempt at revolution came to be known, demonstrated that germany was not nearly as ripe for revolution as leading radicals had believed. Germany 1919 the spartacist uprising socialist party. Sep 29, 20 the spartacist uprising was quite probably doomed to failure from the start. Novemberrevolution was a civil conflict in the german empire at the end of the first world war that resulted in the replacement of the german federal constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliamentary republic that later became known as the weimar republic.
Oct 05, 2009 the most influential communist leaders were rosa luxemburg and karl liebnecht, organisers of the spartacist league named afer spartacus, the head of a slaves revolt in ancient rome. The modern spartacist league, also known as the international communist league, a trotskyist international organisation. May 22, 2015 the spartacists the spartacists, led by rosa luxemburg and karl liebknecht, were a group of radical socialists who found fame in the first few months after the november armistice when germany experienced its socalled revolution. The spartacists were led by karl liebknecht and rosa luxemburg. The spartacist uprising of 1919 and the crisis of the. A january 1919 uprising by communists in germany was called the spartacist uprising. Ultimately one should accept history as it develops. The uprising was primarily a power struggle between the moderate social democratic party of germany led by friedrich ebert and the radical communists of the communist par.
As the spartacist revolt grew, ebert sent the freikorps to defeat the. Students use either the pearson textbook or the included information sheet to complete a table on the main features of the spartacist. The league subsequently renamed itself the kommunistische partei. Germany was in the middle of a postwar revolution, and two of the perceived paths forward were social democracy and a council republic similar to the one which had been. The spartacist league was led by rosa luxemburg and karl liebknecht. The spartacist uprising was a critical event in the german revolution and the early weimar republic. On 6th january 1919, inspired by the spartacists, 100 000 communists demonstrated in berlin and took over key buildings, such as newspaper offices.
Luxemburg considered the 1919 spartacist uprising a blunder, but supported it after liebknecht ordered it without her knowledge. Lesson provides background to spartacist uprising and details of events. Weimar germany was the name given to the period of german history from 1919 until 1933. The spartacist uprising began on january 5 1919 and they almost captured all of berlin. See more ideas about spartacist uprising, ww1 soldiers and rosa luxemburg. Attempts to get army regiments in berlin to join the revolt failed. Spartacist, the theoretical and documentary repository of the international communist league fourth internationalist, is published under the direction of the international executive committee in four languages.
Apr 11, 2020 spartacist uprising was an attempted takeover by the communists to capture berlin in january 1919. The spartacist uprising was a critical event in the german revolution, an attempt to seize control of berlin and replace the transitional weimar. The uprising was launched in january 1919 by the spartakusbund, a group of radical socialists led by karl liebknecht. The revolutionary period lasted from november 1918. The spartacist uprising was quite probably doomed to failure from the start. Explain the importance of the spartacist revolt january. Sep 18, 20 spartacus was a gladiator who led a slave revolt against the romans. The spartacus war is the first popular history of the revolt in english.
In every sense it was a futile gesture against the government. Spartacist synonyms, spartacist pronunciation, spartacist translation, english dictionary definition of spartacist. The name spartacist uprising is generally used for the event even though neither the spartakusbund nor the communist party of germany kpd initiated or led the uprising and only participated after it. Became the theoretical journal after the launch of the new official spartacist leagueu. This demonstration was taken over by the spartacist leadership. Entries usually include a narrative, illustrations and primary sources.
Ninety years ago this month the german workers rose in the spartacist uprising. The spartacist revolt edexcel gcse 91 history weimar. Ten minute history the russian revolution short documentary duration. The text within each entry is linked to other relevant pages in the encyclopaedia. Little is known about him beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes. The spartacist uprising of 1919 and the crisis of the german. This is a presentation for unit 1 of edexcel gcse history the weimar republic.
Karl liebknecht, the radical leader of what became known as the spartacist uprising. The spartacist revolt was a leftwing uprising designed to establish a communist state in germany and destroy the weimar republic. Sep 26, 20 the spartacists were named after spartacus who led a revolt by slaves against the might of the romans in 73 b. Explain the importance of the spartacist revolt january 1919. Sensing that its legitimacy was shrinking, the government understood that its only alternative was to take the revolutionary left by striving to provoke a premature coup that could serve as a pretext for a bloody crackdown. Start studying explain the importance of the spartacist revolt january 1919 in challenging the government of the weimar republic. Its suppression is considered to mark the end of the german revolution. The freikorps grew in strength after the spartacist revolt in 1919. By january 11th, liebknecht and luxemburg had lost all control of events and liebknecht could only say, fatalistically. Published by the expelled revolutionary tendency of the socialist workers party.
And in the article on rosa luxemburg, there is a third version of the event. This book explores the crisis of the german socialist movement and its growth in intensity from the time of the open split of the social democratic party during world war 1 until its climax in the bloody fighting between the radical left and the socialists during the socalled spartacist uprising. In national 5 history learn how the nazis used germanys problems, including the treaty of versailles and the weimar republic. However, in march 1920 the government attempted to disband the freikorps and consequently the ebert government lost control of the freikorps. Became the organ of spartacist, later known as the spartacist league. Spartacist is included in all subscriptions to icl sectional press in the english, french, german and spanish languages. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. During the russian revolution of 1917, it was the first time in history where the ordinary working class people took power directly into their own hands. From a history textbook for schools, published in britain. This study aims at exploring the crisis of the german socialist movement which grew in intensity from the time of the open split of the social democratic party during the war until its climax in the bloody fighting between the radical left and moderate socialists during the socalled spartacist uprising of january 1919. She did not share his approval of the bolsheviks, but called for a dictatorship of the proletariat. German history spartacist revolt sale german history.
Beginning with a general strike it soon became an armed revolt. The spartacists were named after spartacus who led a revolt by slaves against the might of the romans in 73. The spartacist uprising in germany from january 5 to january 12, 1919. The spartacists had very little support outside berlin and the little support that they did have in other parts of germany was not coordinated with the berlin uprising and was far away for example, in munich and hamburg. In this video i will explain how and why this conflict took place. The spartacist revolt weimar germany national 5 history. Like liebknecht, she was sent to prison for treason in 1916. But it was so absorbed into the uspd that it failed to be a decisive force during the spartacist revolt, and the rising ended in catastrophic failure with over 3000 workers being murdered at the hands of the arch reactionary freikorp paramilitaries. The revolt in january 1919, 100,000 workers went on strike and demonstrated in the centre of berlin. However on january 9 and 11 the freikorps fought the spartacists in vicious battles, the spartacist attempted to surrender but and the attack continued until the spartacists were killed to the last man. Spartacus, a history the gladitorial slave revolt of ancient rome roman periods late antiquity outline of ancient rome social class in ancient rome culture of ancient rome roman kingdom ancient roman language latin alphabet latin literature prescedent and roman law roman law imperium mos maiorum collegiality auctoritas roman citizenship cursus. Other articles where spartacist revolt is discussed. Sep 18, 2009 a video about the failed rising by the spartacists communists in germany jan 1919.
The revolt of the gladiator spartacus in 7371 bce remains the most successful slave revolt in the history of rome. The spartacist revolt flashcards in a level and ib history. The spartacist uprising was a january 1919 attempt to seize control of berlin and replace the transitional weimar government with a socialist regime. The revolt in january 1919, 50,000 workers went on strike and protested in the centre of berlin. In january 1919, the weimar government led by president friedrich ebert and his social democratic party, was challenged by a group of revolutionaries called the spartacists.
The sources are also hyperlinked so the student is able to find out. The main aim of this resource is to make the content of the course more visual, by adding pictures, photos, diagrams, maps, and video links, hence more accessible to all ability pupils. Spartakusaufstand, also known as the january uprising januaraufstand, was a general strike and the armed battles accompanying it in berlin from 5 to 12 january 1919. The vorwarts newspaper building after being retaken by government forces 11 jan 1919 international institute for social history, amsterdam and an antispartacist flyer from the same date deutsches historisches museum dhm, berlin over the weekend of 11 12 january, government forces regained control of berlin from the armed revolutonary forces led. In jesis words, spartakus offers a dialectical alternative to historicist interpretations of the spartacist uprising of january 1919. Home a level and ib study tools history the spartacist revolt.
Spartacist league, 1973 marxist theory and deformed workers states new york. It was an attempt to seize control of berlin and replace the transitional government with a radical socialist regime. In january 1919, the kpd, along with the independent socialists, launched the spartacist uprising. The german revolution or november revolution german. In january 1919, ebert sacked the head of the police emil eichhorn. If the book alights upon german situations, it is because these show most clearly the way to reach observations of a general character p. The spartacist league, led by rosa luxemburg and karl liebnecht, was a revolutionary organization. Spartakusaufstand, also known as the january uprising. The spartacists, led by rosa luxemburg and karl liebknecht, were a group of radical socialists who found fame in the first few months after the november armistice when germany experienced its socalled revolution. Freikorps troops with a captured british mk iv tank during the supression of the spartacist uprising in berlin, january. The german communist party kpd 5th january, 1919 spartacist seized.
Kubricks film was written by the screenwriter dalton trumbo, accused of being a communist and blacklisted from hollywood. Spartakusbund was a marxist revolutionary movement organized in germany during world war i. Dec 20, 2015 the spartacist uprising 1919 was a communist rebellion in interwar germany. The popular understanding of spartacus as a selfless hero grew through the works of other writers, bertholt brecht among them, in the 20th century ce until novelist howard fast wrote his historical novel spartacus in 1951 which was used for the stanley kubrick film spartacus in 1960. It got its name from the fact that the constitution for the post war republic was drawn up at. That day maximilian, prince of baden, resigned as chancellor and appointed social democratic party spd leader friedrich ebert to succeed.
In this way it is possible to research individual people and events in great detail. As luxemburg had feared, mass support for communism did not exist among german workers. The spartacus league, a leftwing marxist revolutionary movement in germany during and just after world war i. The spartacist uprising from the first days of 1919, the influence of the revolutionary left in berlin grew rapidly.
The spartacists were named after spartacus who led a revolt by slaves against the might of the romans in 73 b. Germany was in the middle of a postwar revolution, and two of the perceived paths forward were social democracy and a council republic similar to the one which had been established by the bolsheviks in russia. How did the spartacist revolt affect the weimar republic. The spartacist uprising was a short lived attempt by the leftwing spatacist group to wrestle control of berlin. The freikorps former ww1 soldiers put down the rebellion. Spartacus books, one of the longest running collectivelyrun leftist book stores in north america, is also named in his honour.
It was led by the spartacist league a group within the communist party led by rosa luxemburg and karl liebknecht. Against the german army and the freikorps there was probably little doubt of the outcome. The spartacus war and millions of other books are available for instant. The spartacist uprising 1919 was a communist rebellion in interwar germany. An ancient supporter of spartacus, who led a slave rebellion against the roman republic. Spartacist definition is a member of a revolutionary political group organized in germany in 1918 and advocating extreme socialistic doctrines.
1096 1034 1647 621 310 204 1358 1182 122 664 1338 1397 954 935 1040 653 134 1456 907 1540 2 892 907 1180 506 512 17 1395 1361 71 1389 225 761 642 678 1205 824 1615 169 550 1205 1229 662 610 408