Citizens' Defense

Einwohnerwehr
FoundedGerman Revolution of 1918-19
Disbanded29 June 1921
Country Germany
TypeParamilitary, far-right
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Ernst Röhm

The Einwohnerwehr, or "Citizens' Defense," also called the Civil Guard or Civil Defense, was a far-right paramilitary in Weimar Germany that existed in violation of the Treaty of Versailles from the German Revolution of 1918-19 until 29 June 1921. It was established with the goal of defending Germany against Communist uprisings and foreign attacks, though it was also hostile to the Weimar Republic.[1] It was based in Bavaria, where anti-Berlin and anti-republican sentiment attracted such activity. On 29 June 1921 the German government gave in to Allied demands and dissolved the Citizens' Defense. Its militants moved on to fight in other far-right paramilitaries with similar goals.[2][3]

  1. ^ Heiden, Konrad (1944). Der Fuehrer: Hitler's Rise to Power. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 101-102.
  2. ^ Koepp, Roy (January 2010). "Conservative radicals: The Einwohnerwehr, Bund Bayern und Reich, and the limits of paramilitary politics in Bavaria, 1918--1928". ETD Collection for University of Nebraska - Lincoln: 1–294.
  3. ^ Jablonsky, David (2013). The Nazi Party in Dissolution: Hitler and the Verbotzeit, 1923-1925. Routledge. pp. 8–9.