German Revolution (Differently: Done Differently)

German Revolution
Syndicalists fighting in the Christmas uprising, 26 December 1918
Date 17 October 1918 – 21 January 1920 (1 year, 3 months and 4 days) Place Germany Result Dismissal of Paul von Hindenburg in December 1919 Legalisation of socialist parties 1920 federal election Implementation of the March Constitution in 1920
Belligerents
Government Oberste Heeresleitung Freikorps	Revolutionaries SPD Spartacus League KPD FVdG
Commanders and leaders
Paul von Hindenburg Max von Baden Erich Ludendorff Hermann Ehrhardt	Friedrich Ebert Rosa Luxemburg Karl Liebknecht Fritz Kater

The German Revolution (German: Deutsche Revolution) was a period of political instabilty and unrest within Germany that began in the final weeks of the Great War and continued until fresh elections were held in January 1920.

In the month leading up to the end of the war, revolutionaries slowly gained popularity within Germany, as Räte (councils) were formed throughout early October 1918, opposing the continuation of the imperial regime. Following the end of the war in mid-October, Paul von Hindenburg - wanting to ensure stability and eliminate what he called "socialist scum" - convinced the new German emperor Wilhelm III to dismiss the liberal Max von Baden from the chancellorship and appoint Hindenburg in his place, allowing the officer to cancel democratisation and fully establish a military dictatorship. Many opposed Hindenburg, with Social Democratic (SPD) leader Friedrich Ebert famously calling the new dictatorship "a brick in the face of democracy".

During the Hindenburg era, socialist parties - including the SPD and the Communist Party (KPD) - were declared illegal, with anyone associated with such parties under threat of life sentence for treason. Despite this, many parties participated in underground activity with motivations for the overthrow of the empire and the establishment of a Soviet republic. In December 1918, the Free Association of German Trade Unions participated in the 1918 Christmas uprising in Berlin, beginning the first of many socialist uprisings against the dictatorship between 1918 and 1920.

Inspired by the Syndicalist revolt, the Spartacus League, led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg launched an uprising in February 1919, which was successfully suppressed by the military and the Freikorps, anti-communist paramilitary groups that had formed following the end of war. Throughout the revolutionary period, strikes were held by the major workers' parties, who generally had a consensus between each other to continue opposing the government until the removal of Hindenburg and the promise of free elections. Eventually, after understanding that stability could only be achieved by democratisation, Wilhelm III dismissed Hindenburg from the chancellorship and reappointed von Baden, who promised the opposition new elections and the drafting of a new constitution. The first post-war elections were held on 21 January 1920, with the SPD winning a majority and Ebert becoming the new chancellor; eventually, the March Constitution was adopted on 10 March.