Revolution in Munich (Bavaria) 1919 |
Bayern,
7 November 1918 |
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Kurt Eisner: 21 February 1919 On 7 November 1918, the first anniversary of the Russian October Revolution, Kurt Eisner of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) declared Bavaria a "free state", a declaration which overthrew the monarchy of the Wittelsbach dynasty which had ruled for over 700 years. Eisner became Minister-President of Bavaria. Though he advocated a "socialist republic", he distanced himself from the Russian Bolsheviks, declaring that his government would protect property rights. For a few days, the Munich economist Lujo Brentano served as People's Commissar for Trade (Volkskommissar für Handel). After Eisner's USPD had lost the elections, he decided to resign from his office. On 21 February 1919, as he was on his way to parliament to announce his resignation, he was shot by the right-wing nationalist Anton Graf von Arco auf Valley, who was rejected from membership in the Thule Society because of Jewish ancestry on his mother's side. This assassination caused unrest and lawlessness in Bavaria, and the news of a soviet revolution in Hungary encouraged communists and anarchists to seize power. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavarian_Soviet_Republic |
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Kurt Eisner | The place in the Promenadestrasse where Kurt Eisner was killed. Revolutionary soldiers on guard. |
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Memorial card. On the banner: For Freedom and Justice. On the tombstone: His spirit lives on |
Funeral of Kurt Eisner |
Graf Anton Arco-Valley |
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Bavarian Soviet Republic On 6 April, the
"Bavarian Soviet Republic" was proclaimed. Initially, it was
ruled by USPD members such as Ernst Toller and Gustav Landauer, and
anarchists like Erich Mühsam. However, Ernst Toller, a playwrighter, was
not very good at dealing with politics, and his government did little to
restore order in the city. Source: http://en.allexperts.com/e/b/ba/bavarian_soviet_republic.htm |
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Mass demonstration | Damage to one of Bavaria's favourites: Löwenbräu brewery | ||
An other brewery: Mathäserbräu |
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Damage to houses caused by artillery | |||
Shot down plane, May 1, 1919 | A horse killed by the Spartacists is butchered by the starving population |
Destroyed police headquarters | |
Military scenes |
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Armed civilians and workers take away captured 'reds' |
A mortar | Firing on spartacists with a macine gun | Armoured car |
Armoured car | Volkswehr am Stachus | Motorgeschütz am Sendlinger Tor | 2nd Ulanen regiment in Munich May 1919 |
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