British Revolution (German Heritage)

British Revolution of 1917
Clockwise from top right: Socialist revolts in Glasgow, Scotland Royalist tanks in the Midlands Communists David Kirkwood and Willie Gallacher being detained Women protesting the end of the war
Date August 2, 1917 – November 21, 1917 (3 months, 2 weeks and 5 days) Location Great Britain and Ireland Result British Republican victory; Permanent exile of the British and Russian Royal Families to Canada. Suppression of leftist uprisings. British withdrawal from World War I. Establishment of the British Commonwealth.
Belligerents
Republican Government Labour Party Independent Labour Party Co-Operative Party Liberal Party TUC Clyde Workers' Committee Supported by: German Empire (Covertly) Irish Revolutionaries Supported by: German Empire (Covertly)	United Kingdom British Army Ulster Volunteers Conservative Party White Emigre
Commanders and leaders
Ramsay MacDonald Phillip Snowden David Lloyd George James Maxton William Anderson John Maclean Willie Gallacher Arthur Horner Michael Collins Éamon de Valera	George V of the United Kingdom Arthur Balfour George Cave  † Earl Curzon of Kedleston The Viscount French John Maxwell Edward Carson

The British Revolution or August Revolution was a civil conflict in the United Kingdom during World War I that resulted in the replacement of the British semi-constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliamentary republic that later became known as the British Commonwealth, which then proceeded to seek an armistice and peace treaty with Germany. The revolutionary period lasted from August 1917 until the adoption in August 1918 of the “Southampton Constitution”.

The British Revolution was the culmination of years of political and social instability, combined with the harsh conditions that Britain was suffering during the three years of war. Though the people had been whipped into a nationalistic fervour in 1914, by 1917, there was widespread mistrust and hatred of the Conservative Government - the result of the years of unrest, deaths and union conflict between 1911-14. The public’s opinion of the monarchy, in particular, had shifted towards hostility - while the people were starving as a result of the successful u-boat campaign, the monarch, now joined by his cousin Nicholas II of Russia, were still living their lavish lifestyle, which created hatred.

The catalyst for the revolution was a strike in Liverpool by industrial workers, who supported an end to the war. Liverpool’s workers had become radicalised by the 1911 Liverpool general transport strike, which had resulted in 11 deaths and served to strengthen republican circles in the city. The Home Secretary, George Cave, ordered a harsh response by the local regiment, in an attempt to contain the revolutionary elements of society. However, the regiment mutinied, with many soldiers actually joining the strikers. In the space of a week, the strike in Liverpool turned into an active military and revolutionary rebellion, with the very popular syndicalist Tom Mann declaring the Workers’ Council of Liverpool.