Formation and Plans of the Hoffmann Government, mid-March 1919

With the injury of Erhard Auer (1874-1945), Johannes Hoffmann (1867-1930) became the leading Mehrheitssozialdemokrat in Bavaria. Because of his leftist ideology, he seemed to be closer to the councils. Indeed, because of his cultural policy schemes, he was impossible to be accepted by bourgeois circles, in particular by the Catholic Bavarian People's Party (BVP). Only the particularly dangerous situation after the interruption of the parliamentary session helped Hoffmann to achieve the prime minister’s office. He managed to reach a compromise between the parties in the Landtag and the council congress and thus formed a new democratically legitimised government.

In his inaugural speech on 18 March 1919, which was also disseminated on printed posters, Hoffmann presented himself as adherent of Kurt Eisner (1867-1919). In his role as Bavarian Foreign Secretary and Head of Government, he also explained Bavaria’s precarious situation at the time. The new government had major economic and social tasks to solve. Among the goals of his social-democratic government was the supply of war returnees, the demobilisation of the army, the socialisation of the economy as well as the solution of the food supply and housing shortage. He considered the new Enabling Act a compromise, which was to give the government provisional legislative competence. Conversely, the councils should renounce such a competence. As a convinced Unitarian, Hoffmann declared that he wished to renounce Bavaria's privileges within the German Reich.

By forming a government, Johannes Hoffmann was able to calm the situation in Munich and the conflict over Bavaria's future form of government.

To the digitised copy of the photography by Johannes Hoffmann

To the digitised copy of the poster of Prime Minister Johannes Hoffmann's inaugural speech