Munich 1919 is a vivid portrayal of the chaos that followed World War I and the collapse of the Munich Council Republic by one of the most perceptive chroniclers of German history. Victor Klemperer provides a moving and thrilling account of what turned out to be a decisive turning point in the fate of a nation, for the revolution of 1918-9 not only produced the first German democracy, it also heralded the horrors to come. With the directness of an educated and independent young man, Klemperer turned his hand to political journalism, writing astute, clever and linguistically brilliant reports in the beleaguered Munich of 1919. He sketched intimate portraits of the people of the hour, including Erich Mühsam, Max Levien and Kurt Eisner, and took the measure of the events around him with a keen eye. These observations are made ever more poignant by the inclusion of passages from his later memoirs. In the midst of increasing persecution under the Nazis he reflected on the fateful year 1919, the growing threat of antisemitism, and the acquaintances he made in the period, some of whom would later abandon him, while others remained loyal. Klemperer's account once again reveals him to be a fearless and deeply humane recorder of German history. Munich 1919 will be essential reading for all those interested in 20th century history, constituting a unique witness to events of the period.

Traces in detail the overthrow of the Wittelsbach dynasty and establishment of the first Bavarian Republic under Kurt Eisner at the end of World War I.

Munich at the start of June 1914 exuded taste and refinement, and was renowned for its history and heritage. But behind this facade, thousands of its people suffered poor working conditions and poverty. The city was on the brink of despair by January 1919, its economy left in tatters following Germany's defeat in the First World War and in the wake of the country's subsequent revolution. The polymath Max Weber described the situation as a 'bloody carnival' and, for Munich, the worst was yet to come. It would soon witness assassination, murder, class warfare and a brutal counter-revolutionary clampdown at the hands of the dreaded Freikorps. This introductory book explores what happened and why, and considers events within their wider context. It also comes with numerous photos, including several rare images.

The first study to reveal the key relationship between violence and fears of violence during the German Revolution of 1918-1919.

Examines how narratives of the 1919 Central European revolutions promoted a violent counterrevolutionary culture in interwar Germany and Hungary.

History that reads like a novel: the story of the writers and intellectuals behind the failed Bavarian Revolution of 1918, by the author of the acclaimed Summer Before the Dark At the end of the First World War in Germany, the journalist and theatre critic Kurt Eisner organised a revolution which overthrew the monarchy, and declared a Free State of Bavaria. In February 1919, he was assassinated, and the revolution failed. But while the dream lived, it was the writers, the poets, the playwrights and the intellectuals who led the way. As well as Eisner, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, and many other prominent figures in German cultural history were involved. In his characteristically lucid, sharp prose, Volker Weidermann presents us with a slice of history - November 1918 to April 1919 - and shows how a small group of people could have altered the course of the twentieth century.