The bloody end of the Munich Soviet

Reichswehr and Freikorps bring the last Soviet republic in Germany to a violent end

Although Kurt Eisner, the Berlin-born leader of the Munich branch of the radical socialists (USPD), declared the transformation of the Kingdom of Bavaria into the “Free State of Bavaria” (i.e. free of any royal overlord) on 7 November 1918, subsequent elections gave his party only 2.5% of the vote. Eisner was assassinated by a right-wing radical whilst making his way to parliament to resign. Seeing that they would never win by the ballot box, radical socialists set up a workers’ council that placed Munich under siege, deposed the SPD-led coalition government and established a Soviet republic.

The recently elected Bavarian government fled to nearby Bamberg, from where it called on the Prussian and Württemberg army for assistance. Bolstered by volunteers organized in Freikorps, soldiers fought their way into Munich and put down all resistance. The fall of the Munich Soviet on 2 May 1919 resulted in the death or imprisonment of over 2,000 people; a new coalition of SPD and conservative parties took over the reins of power in August.