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.
Mar 1920: The Kapp Putsch (& ongoing political violence)
In March 1920, the Freikorps units near Berlin are due to be disbanded, making the prospect
of unemployment very real for these men. Afraid of unemployment, they decide to turn on the
Republic and thus 5000 armed men March on Berlin.
For Chancellor Ebert, this isn’t good news. He needs to figure out a way to put down the
uprising, and quickly. Ebert orders General Seeckt, head of the Reichswehr, which is the
German military, to fight the Freikorps. The Freikorps are largely former soldiers, who
had lost their jobs as soldiers due to the Treaty of Versailles restricting the size
of the German army to 100 000 men and thus Seeckt’s response to this order is ‘Reichswehr
does not open fire on Reichswehr’. There’s nothing left Ebert and his government can
do. In fear of their lives, they flee to Weimar and then on to Stuttgart. Meanwhile, the Freikorps
gain control of Berlin.
The Rebels put forward Wolfgang Kapp, a right-wing politician, as a figurehead leader, declaring
a new government in Germany. They even invite the Kaiser to return from exile.
Ebert’s government, with no other options, urge passive resistance. They tell people
to go on strike and not cooperate. Swathes of workers do just that, their socialist leanings
mean that they really don’t want to see the return of the Kaiser. Essential services,
such as gas, electricity, water and transport in the city, grind to a halt.
Eventually, after 4 days, Kapp realises he can’t govern under such conditions and attempts
to flee, but he’s caught and put in prison, where he later dies.
With the rebellion collapsed, the Weimar government and ministers are able to return.
However, this isn’t the end to the political violence. On top of both the Spartacist Revolt
and the Kapp Putsch, the Weimar government faces a series of political assassinations.
In 1919, Hugo Haasse, one of Ebert’s council of the people’s Representatives, is murdered.
In August 1921, Matthias Erzberger, the politician who signed the armistice is shot and killed.
In June 1922, Walther Rathenau, the foreign minister is machine-gunned to death in Berlin.
Between 1919 and 1922, there are a total of 376 political murders, most victims being
modern or left-wing politicians. The judges are more often sympathetic to the political
right and sometimes even undermine the Weimar Republic in courts. Thus 10 left-wing assassins
are convicted and executed, whilst not a single right-wing murderer is even convicted.
Consequently, most parties choose to hire armed men to guard their meetings, often recruiting
unemployed ex-soldiers, and creating their own paramilitary groups. The KPD has the RotfrontKämpfer
(the Red Front Fighters); the DNVP has the Stahlhelm (Steel helmets); and the SPD has
the Reichsbanner Schwartz-Rot-Gold (Black Reg Gold Flag). Although they’re there for
protection, the presence of these private armies often causes violence.
1920: The Kapp Putsch (& ongoing political violence)
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