The German Revolution of 1918–1919

The uprising that ended the German Empire and created the Weimar Republic.

Background

Germany was exhausted by the war and the naval blockade, and military defeat was approaching. Strikes and discontent spread, and the sailors at Kiel refused orders to sail on a final mission in late October 1918.

Course of events

The mutiny spread to cities across the country, and workers' and soldiers' councils formed. Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated on 9 November, and a republic was proclaimed. In January 1919 the Spartacist uprising in Berlin was crushed, and Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were murdered.

Legacy

The Weimar Constitution was adopted in August 1919. The republic achieved much but was weakened by economic crises and political violence, and it ended with the Nazi seizure of power in 1933.