Bavarian Soviet Republic

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Bavarian Soviet Republic Münchner Räterepublik
1919
Flag
Motto: "Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt Euch!" "Workers of the world, unite!"
Anthem: Die Internationale The Internationale
Territory claimed by the Bavarian Soviet Republic (in red) shown with the rest of the Weimar Republic (in beige)
Status	Unrecognized state
Capital	Munich
Common languages	German
Government	Soviet republic
• 6–12 April 1919	Ernst Toller
• 12 April 1919 – 3 May 1919	Eugen Leviné
Historical era	Interwar period  · Revolutions of 1917–1923  · Political violence in Germany (1918–1933)
• Established	6 April 1919
• Disestablished	3 May 1919
Currency	German Papiermark (ℳ)
Preceded by Succeeded by People's State of Bavaria Weimar Republic Free State of Bavaria
Today part of	Germany

The Bavarian Soviet Republic (or Bavarian Council Republic), also known as the Munich Soviet Republic (German: Räterepublik Baiern, Münchner Räterepublik), was a short-lived unrecognised socialist state in Bavaria during the German revolution of 1918–1919.^[1]

A group of communists and anarchists declared the Bavarian Soviet Republic on 6 April 1919, forcing the government of the existing People's State of Bavaria to flee to Bamberg.^[2] The members of the new government, led by playwright Ernst Toller, had no political or administrative experience,^[3] and after just six days in power they were ousted in a putsch organized by the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). The new head of state, the Russian-German Bolshevik Eugen Leviné, quickly instituted communist measures such as worker control of factories. Food shortages led to popular unrest, and on 3 May the People's State was violently put down by soldiers of the German Army, supported by paramilitary Freikorps troops. Some 600 people died in the fighting,^[4] and up to 1,200 communists and anarchists were later executed.^[5]

On 14 August 1919, the democratic Free State of Bavaria was established within the Weimar Republic. The disruptions and privation endured by the populace during Bavaria's period of socialist rule led to the new state becoming strongly anti-communist and a breeding ground for right-wing parties such as the Nazis. The Bavarian Soviet Republic also contributed to the nationwide split between the moderate and radical Left, which seriously weakened opposition to the Nazi rise to power.^[6]