Ruhr uprising

Ruhr uprising
Part of the reactions to the Kapp Putsch,
Revolutions of 1917–1923 and
Political violence in Germany (1918–1933)

Members of the Red Ruhr Army in Dortmund
Date
  • 13 March – 6 April 1920 (1920-03-13 – 1920-04-06)
  • (3 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Ruhr, Germany
Result Government victory
Belligerents

Weimar Republic

Freikorps

Red Ruhr Army

Commanders and leaders
Oskar von Watter Workers' councils
Strength
Unknown 50,000–80,000
Casualties and losses

645 killed and missing

Reichswehr:
208 killed
123 missing
Police: 41 killed
Freikorps: 273 killed		 1,000+ rebels killed

The Ruhr uprising (‹See Tfd›German: Ruhraufstand), or March uprising (Märzaufstand), was a left-wing workers' revolt in the Ruhr region of Germany in March and April 1920. It was triggered by the call for a general strike in response to the right-wing Kapp Putsch of 13 March 1920 and became an armed rebellion when radical left workers used the strike as an opportunity to attempt the establishment of a soviet-style council republic.[1]

During the strike, spontaneously formed workers' councils sprang up across the Ruhr and took control of the region with the support of 50,000 – 80,000 armed workers who quickly formed the Red Ruhr Army.[2] After the German government's attempts to negotiate a peaceful settlement failed, it sent in both Reichswehr and paramilitary Freikorps troops to put down the rebellion. They acted with considerable brutality, including summary executions of prisoners and the killing of wounded fighters. The government victory cost the lives of over 1,000 workers and about 600 Reichswehr and Freikorps soldiers.[3]

The government's military response to the Ruhr uprising led to a brief French occupation of some cities in the region, including Frankfurt and Darmstadt.[4] In addition, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which had led the governments of the Weimar Republic until then, lost 61 seats in the June 1920 Reichstag election, in large part because of the way it had handled the uprising.[5]

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  3. ^ Winkler, Heinrich August (1993). Weimar 1918–1933. Die Geschichte der ersten deutschen Demokratie [Weimar 1918–1933. The History of the FIrst German Democracy] (in German). Munich: C.H. Beck. p. 134. ISBN 3-406-37646-0.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference C1920 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).