Revolution and Eisner government

On 7 November 1918, a small group around the Berlin journalist and peace activist Kurt Eisner (1867-1919) succeeded in bringing about the revolution in Bavaria. The reforms introduced by the Bavarian government at the end of October had thus become obsolete. During the night of 8 November 1918 - two days earlier than in the rest of the German Reich - the first republic was proclaimed on Bavarian soil. In Munich's Mathäserbräu (a Munich brewery), a workers' and soldiers' council was formed after the Russian model. The newly created councils usually operated in parallel with the still existing administration.

Both Unabhängige Sozialdemokraten (Independent Social Democrats) and Mehrheitssozialdemokraten (Majority Social Democrats) were represented in Eisner’s provisional government, which was formed on 8 November. Eisner took over the chairmanship, Erhard Auer (1874-1945), chairman of the MSPD, became Home Secretary. The revolutionary government faced great challenges at the end of WWI. Increasing unemployment as a result of demobilisation and the lack of food supplies in the cities weighed heavily on government activity.

The Revolution outside Munich

After the uprising in the capital, the revolution also reached the other Bavarian cities and rural regions. The establishment of the Workers’ and Soldiers’ Council in Munich was followed by the creation of numerous councils throughout Bavaria, most of which happened peacefully. In large cities such as Nuremberg or in industrial towns such as Burglengenfeld and Hof this development either took place on 8 November or in the following days. In small towns without a significant workforce, however, often several weeks went by, e.g. in Tegernsee.

The Landtag Election of 1919 and its Aftermath

There were strong tensions within the new Bavarian government. While Erhard Auer, Justice Minister Johannes Timm (1866-1945) and Transport Minister Heinrich von Frauendorfer (1855-1921) advocated an early election and the rapid and orderly transition to a democratically legitimised government, Kurt Eisner tried to postpone elections despite his initial announcements. On 5 December 1918, against Eisner's resistance, the election date was set for 12 January 1919. In the Palatinate, the election could not take place before 2 February. The election produced a disastrous result for the USPD, which received only 2.5% of the votes. The Bavarian People's Party, a successor to the Catholic-Conservative Centre in Bavaria, which was founded shortly after the revolution in November, emerged victorious with 35% of the votes. Next, the MSPD achieved the second best result with 33%.

After the state elections, the MSPD planned to form a new government under Erhard Auer's leadership. In the meantime, the government still in office under Kurt Eisner could barely operate. The cabinet urged Eisner to resign. He finally agreed and wanted to declare his resignation at the constituent session of the Landtag on 21 February 1919.

During the course of January 1919, the security situation in Munich had noticeably deteriorated. The revolutionary government was almost without reliable security forces at its disposal. While radical left-wing representatives of the councils were increasingly clamouring for a system of councils based on the Russian model, the right-wing opponents of a new democratic order had re-aligned just a few days after the coup. Eisner, in particular, had become the target of right-wing national and anti-Semitic attacks. Auer, however, received constant death threats from left-wing extremists.

In Berlin, after conditions similar to those of civil war at Christmas 1918, serious fights broke out once more from 8 January 1919. On 15 January, the KPD leaders Karl Liebknecht (1871-1919) and Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) were murdered.