The Spartacist Revolt Lesson starter 1 explain why

The Spartacist Revolt Lesson starter 1. explain why the new German Government were already unpopular by 1918 -19. (give at least 2 reasons) Ebert

We are learning to… • Describe the events of the Spartacist Revolt • Explain how it helped the Nazis I can… • Produce a newspaper article documenting the events of the Revolt

Notetaking/ Reporting task 3 sources: Power. Point Video materials https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=d. Sjkpa. Xl. XIE http: //www. bbc. co. uk/education/clips/z 4 kgkqt Bitesize Page (only if required for support) Task: Take quick, key word notes Turn them into a detailed newspaper article

Task one: watch the Spartacist Revolt in The Rise of Evil Write down at least THREE WORDS which sum up what you see/hear.

• As a reporter like Fritz Gerlich might do, you are going to take only very brief ‘key word’ notes from the sources of information • This can be just as useful, if not more so, than detailed bullet points and sentences • Get as much useful information as you can in a short space of time

Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were two Germans who were unhappy with the new government They were called The Spartacists

• In January 1919, Liebknecht and Luxemburg led a movement to try and get rid of Ebert’s government • They wanted to turn Germany into a Communist country like Russia • They started a movement of violence in the streets of Germany • They captured newspaper offices and railway stations and even a brewery • They toppled statues of the Kaiser

Spartacists at the Brandenburg Gate

• The Spartacists had 100, 000 people involved in their revolt • The new German leader Ebert was worried – Germany did not have a large enough army to put down a revolt of this size Wilhelm Groener – leader of the German Army

• Groener organised a group of violent exsoldiers to fight the Spartacists • They were called The Freikorps • They were ruthless and right-wing – they hated Communists • Over 700 people were killed in the violence that followed The Freikorps

• The Freikorps were able to put down the Spartacist Revolt • The revolt showed that there was huge opposition to the Weimar Government • It also showed the Weimar government were incapable of running Germany • The Freikorps were later recruited by Hitler to become his Militia (The SA)

Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were executed for their part in the uprising People began to associate the Communists with violence

Why did the Spartacist Revolt fail? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Karl Liebnecht and Rosa Luxemburg did not plan their uprising well enough Karl and Rosa were killed in police custody The Government acted very quickly in organising the Friekorps to put down the uprising The Spartacists were arguing amongst themselves – they were not united Their supporters started to get bored standing around in freezing Berlin and went home

1. How did the Spartacist Revolt help the Nazis? People were terrified of these violent Communists who caused such bloodshed – The Nazis gained support because they were anti – Communist 2. People started to think the Weimar government were incapable of keeping law and order – they wanted a new government 3. The men in the Friekorps were recruited by Hitler and Ernst Röhm to become the SA, SA the Nazi’s paramilitary wing

The Berlin Reporter You are going to imagine you are Fritz Gerlich, an eyewitness to the violent Spartacist Revolt in 1919 It is your job to report the events that have unfolded in January 1919 to the citizens of Berlin and Germany You should rely on the brief notes you have and your textbook article. Good Luck! Readers will want to know; ü The aims of the Spartacists ü Who was involved (names) ü What happened (the events – min 4) ü How many were killed ü What this means for the future of Germany and the Weimar government (some)

What have I learned? Write a list of 10 key words/ phrases/ facts & figures you would expect to see in a description of the Spartacist Revolt. Example ‘violence’ or ‘Communists’ These words will be used in our bingo game.

History Bingo

Bingo Words • • Kaiser Communism Socialists Right wing Rosa Luxemburg 1919 Friekorps Death • • • Spartacists Ebert Chaos Revolution Violent Munich 100, 000 Karl Liebknecht Left Wing 700

Bingo Words • • • • Socialists Violent revolution Reds Rosa Luxemburg Keep the peace Uprising Reduced in size Communists Break the power January 1919 9 th November General strike Socialism Berlin • • • • Chaos New government Took over Spartacists Ruled Angry Spartacus League Betray Workers Friekorps Control of the city Karl Liebknecht Fight against Communism • 100, 000

N 5 Timed Question Describe the events of the Spartacist Uprising in 1919. 4 marks Time – 8 mins (2 min p/mark)