Ruhr Red Army
Encyclopedia
Red Ruhr Army was an army of between 50,000 and 80,000 left wing workers from the Communist Party of Germany
, the Communist Workers' Party of Germany, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
, and the Free Workers Union of Germany, formed on March 13, 1920 as a reaction to the Kapp Putsch
in the Ruhr Valley, the richest industrial area of Germany
. After calling a general strike on March 14, the Red Ruhr Army defeated the Freikorps
and regular army units in the area and started the biggest armed workers' uprising in Germany
, also called Märzrevolution (March Revolution) and Ruhr Uprising
(Ruhraufstand).
While the middle
and upper class
es feared a left wing putsch, 300,000 mine workers supported the Ruhr Red Army. The strikers conquered Düsseldorf
, Elberfeld
, Essen and soon had control over the whole Ruhr area.
After the failure of negotiations with the strikers the government sent more troops into the Ruhr area on April 2, 1920, which caused civil-war like circumstances. These government troops consisted largely of regulars, but also of Freikorps paramilitary soldiers, who finally defeated the workers' uprising and reconquered the Ruhr area. While the Free Corps lost only 250 men, the Red Ruhr Army lost over a thousand during the bitter fights.
Finally, on April 12, Reichswehr General von Watter banned any illegal behaviour on the part of his troops, which put an end to all battles and fights in the Ruhr area.
Between 1919 and 1922 there were 35,600 political murders in Germany. Germany's Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau
was murdered as part of the escalating violence.
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
, the Communist Workers' Party of Germany, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of left wing members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
, and the Free Workers Union of Germany, formed on March 13, 1920 as a reaction to the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
in the Ruhr Valley, the richest industrial area of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. After calling a general strike on March 14, the Red Ruhr Army defeated the Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
and regular army units in the area and started the biggest armed workers' uprising in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, also called Märzrevolution (March Revolution) and Ruhr Uprising
Ruhr Uprising
The Ruhr uprising was a left-wing workers' revolt in the Ruhr in March 1920. The uprising took place initially on the occasion of the call for a general strike issued by the Social Democrat members of the German government in response to the Kapp Putsch of 13 March 1920:The first demonstrations...
(Ruhraufstand).
While the middle
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
and upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
es feared a left wing putsch, 300,000 mine workers supported the Ruhr Red Army. The strikers conquered Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Elberfeld
Elberfeld
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.-History:The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "elverfelde" was in a document of 1161...
, Essen and soon had control over the whole Ruhr area.
After the failure of negotiations with the strikers the government sent more troops into the Ruhr area on April 2, 1920, which caused civil-war like circumstances. These government troops consisted largely of regulars, but also of Freikorps paramilitary soldiers, who finally defeated the workers' uprising and reconquered the Ruhr area. While the Free Corps lost only 250 men, the Red Ruhr Army lost over a thousand during the bitter fights.
Finally, on April 12, Reichswehr General von Watter banned any illegal behaviour on the part of his troops, which put an end to all battles and fights in the Ruhr area.
Between 1919 and 1922 there were 35,600 political murders in Germany. Germany's Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau
Walther Rathenau
Walther Rathenau was a German Jewish industrialist, politician, writer, and statesman who served as Foreign Minister of Germany during the Weimar Republic...
was murdered as part of the escalating violence.