What Are Your Thoughts On the German Revolution?

Wolfpaw

Banned
I had a rather nerdy conversation with some chaps the other day about the German Revolution of 1918-1919 and some really interesting arguments cropped up, the foremost being that the "Revolution" wasn't a revolution at all.

Anywhoo, I was just wondering what some of your views on the German Revolution were. Was it overall a success or a failure? Was it a "revolution" at all? And so on.
 
I had a rather nerdy conversation with some chaps the other day about the German Revolution of 1918-1919 and some really interesting arguments cropped up, the foremost being that the "Revolution" wasn't a revolution at all.

Anywhoo, I was just wondering what some of your views on the German Revolution were. Was it overall a success or a failure? Was it a "revolution" at all? And so on.

Would you belive I was just doing this in Advanced Higher History today (and have an essay about it to be done over the holidays :(). I think that at most it was a limited revolution, but due to the fact that the institutions stayed right wing even though the Constitution was left wing. I suppose what happened during that time was successful to an extent due to the fact that Weimar survived its birth. What's your opinion on the matter, you've called it a Revolution so I was wondering what lead you to that conclusion.
 
From my limited knowledge of German history, I also would not call what happened in Germany 1918-1919 a "revolution" unless you talk about failed revolutions involving abortive communist attempts to take power in several states of the former German Empire. The Kaiser's abdication and military junta resignation was not caused by a revolution, but was part of a calculated decision to transfer power to the Socialists in the Reichstag so they'd be the government in charge (and blamed) for "losing" WW1.
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
I don't really see it as a revolution, to be honest. The abolition of the monarchy was a bit slapdash and seemed almost accidental--Ebert and most Socialists (to say nothing of moderates and conservatives) were for a constitutional monarchy and wanted the Kaiser's grandson to succeed him.

Apart from female suffrage and reform of the almost laughably unjust Prussian voting system, what changed? The civil service wasn't reformed, the Junkers remained prominent as ever, the judiciary was as overwhelmingly conservative as ever.

I'd say it that it was a more or less successful and relatively bloodless transfer of power that sparked some short-lived revolts whose main legacies were giving Freikorps veterans something to fondly reminisce about.
 
I don't really see it as a revolution, to be honest. The abolition of the monarchy was a bit slapdash and seemed almost accidental--Ebert and most Socialists (to say nothing of moderates and conservatives) were for a constitutional monarchy and wanted the Kaiser's grandson to succeed him.

Apart from female suffrage and reform of the almost laughably unjust Prussian voting system, what changed? The civil service wasn't reformed, the Junkers remained prominent as ever, the judiciary was as overwhelmingly conservative as ever.

I'd say it that it was a more or less successful and relatively bloodless transfer of power that sparked some short-lived revolts whose main legacies were giving Freikorps veterans something to fondly reminisce about.

I think one of the biggest mistakes was when Ebert welcomed the troops home as "unconqured" thus adding to what would later become the stab in the back myth.
 
One wonders whether the 'stab in the back' and 'November criminals' mythology would have been mitigated to some extent amongst conservative opinion if the monarchy had been retained. After all almost all the democratic concessions the SPD and Zentrum had been seeking were granted before the Kaiser's abdication.
 
One wonders whether the 'stab in the back' and 'November criminals' mythology would have been mitigated to some extent amongst conservative opinion if the monarchy had been retained. After all almost all the democratic concessions the SPD and Zentrum had been seeking were granted before the Kaiser's abdication.

Possibly, but what I think is the Nazis couldn't have taken power in that scenario. The oath would still be to the Kaiser. The Dolchstosslegende wouldn't, perhaps, have been able to rise above grumbling.
 
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