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| Question | Answer |
| When was the Spartacist Uprising? | 5 - 12 January 1919 BEFORE the election on the 19 Jan |
| Who was the President at the time? | Freidrich Ebert of the SPD (A former student of Rosa Luxembourg) |
| What were the aims of the Spartacists? | The Spartacists were communists, who wanted Germany to be run by the working classes. They believed that power and wealth should be shared equally among the population. They did not believe the German Revolution had gone far enough - wanted a ‘Russian’ style revolution |
| Who were their leaders? | Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. |
| Summarise the uprising | In January 1919, 100,000 workers went on strike and demonstrated in the centre of Berlin. This demonstration was taken over by the Spartacist leadership. Newspaper and communication buildings were seized and the demonstrators armed themselves. |
| Why did the uprising fail? | Many protesters returned home frustrated at the lack of planning by the Spartacists. Then Ebert called on the Freikorps to put down the rising. Over 100 workers were killed during what became known as ‘Bloody Week’ |
| What were the main consequences of the failed uprising? | Libeknecht and Luxemburg were killed (extrajudicial) by the Freikorps. It caused a split between the far left and moderate socialists - which proved significant later when they failed to unite to prevent the Nazis coming to power. |
| Who was Rosa Luxembourg? (Polish by birth - German citizen by marriage) | Marxist (communist) revolutionary. Known as ‘Red Rosa’. Co-founder of - Spartacus League - an anti-war movement (imprisoned for protesting) Founded newspaper - ‘the red flag’. |
| What was their fate? | Arrested - tortured - shot. Luxumburg’s body ditched in a canal - found months later. (May) Liebkneckt’s (firing squad) dumped outside gates of Berlin zoo (‘dogs were given a dog’s death) |
| What the uprising was ‘not’! (Common mistakes) | It was not a right wing uprising! It was not in response to the Treaty of Versailles! |
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