Spartacist uprising

The Spartacist uprising was a failed communist revolt in Berlin in January 1919, suppressed by government forces and Freikorps. Its defeat deepened divisions in Germany’s revolutionary left.

Berlin: Berlin is Germany’s capital and largest city, located in the country’s northeast. The uprising centered on Berlin’s streets, government buildings, and newspaper offices.
Spartacus League: The Spartacus League was a German revolutionary socialist organization that became a founding component of the Communist Party of Germany. Its members and political network supplied the uprising’s name and much of its revolutionary leadership.
Rosa Luxemburg: Rosa Luxemburg was a Polish-German Marxist theorist and revolutionary who helped found the Communist Party of Germany. She opposed the revolt’s timing but was associated with it and murdered after its defeat.
Murder of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht: Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were murdered by members of a Freikorps unit in Berlin on 15 January 1919. Their deaths became the most enduring consequence of the uprising’s suppression.
German Revolution of 1918–1919: The German Revolution of 1918–1919 ended the monarchy and established a republic amid strikes and armed conflict. The uprising was one episode in the wider revolutionary crisis that began in November 1918.
Ebert–Groener pact: The Ebert–Groener pact was a November 1918 agreement between Friedrich Ebert and General Wilhelm Groener to cooperate in restoring order. The government’s reliance on the army antagonized revolutionaries who expected deeper transformation.
Karl Liebknecht: Karl Liebknecht was a German socialist politician and antiwar activist who helped found the Communist Party of Germany. His public support for revolutionary action made him a prominent target after the uprising.
Communist Party of Germany: The Communist Party of Germany was a revolutionary Marxist party founded in Berlin in December 1918. The defeat and killings shaped the party’s early leadership, strategy, and relations with Social Democrats.
Friedrich Ebert: Friedrich Ebert was a Social Democratic politician who led Germany’s provisional government and later became president. As head of government, Ebert authorized the forceful suppression of the revolt.
Council of the People's Deputies: The Council of the People’s Deputies was Germany’s provisional government from November 1918 to February 1919. Its policies and authority became central points of conflict for revolutionary workers.

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