The Existence of A German Revolution

The Existence of A German Revolution

The oxford dictionary states that the definition of revolution is:

"forcible substitution of new government or ruler for old; fundamental

change" It could also be added that it results in fundamental changes

not only to the political system but also to the social and economic

infrastructure, and is often accelerated by war or military defeat.

Indeed Germany did go through a period of much turmoil during the

First World War and in the ensuing period after it. At the end of 1918

the nations morale was shattered by their humiliating defeat in war,

shortages were severe to say the least and thousands of people were

dying of the Spanish Influenza. Added to this demobilisation was slow

and disorganised, the country was full of arms and with the

Hohenzollerns out of the way it was felt by much of the population

that now was the time to make a break from their imperial past and

create a more just society. In order to establish whether or not these

conditions materialised into a revolution the events of 1918 and the

subsequent period after the war must be looked at in more detail.

The first of these events is the so-called "revolution from above".

This was first established in September 1918 when Ludendorff and the

Army High Command advised the Kaiser to give power to Prince Max of

Baden, thus making the government more acceptable to the allies and

especially to President Wilson. This change meant that for the first

time ever the Chancellor was accountable to the Reichstag and members

within the Reichstag could now become ministers. As Stephen. J. Lee

rightly points out this now meant that "the constituti...

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... would appear that

whilst the ingredients for revolution were available they never seemed

to materialise into anything substantial. As Bernard Prince von Bulow

more eloquently put the matter "I witnessed the beginnings of a

revolution. Alas she did not come…in the shape of a radiant goddess,

her hair flowing in the wind, and shod with sandals of iron. She was

like an old hag, toothless and bald, her great feet slipshod and down

at the heel" However it could be said that this is not entirely

accurate. In all cases power could be argued to be evolutionary and

there was no fundamental changes to the political system that came as

a result the uprisings. Therefore it can be said that whilst it is

easy to assume that there was a German revolution on closer inspection

the events cannot match to the definition of revolution.