| Ruhr Red Army | |
|---|---|
| German:Rote Ruhrarmee | |
 Members of the Ruhr Red Army inDortmund, 1920 | |
| Dates of operation | 13 March – 6 April 1924 |
| Active regions | Ruhr Valley |
| Ideology | Communism Socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Size | 50,000 – 80,000 |
| Allies | |
| Opponents |  Weimar Republic Freikorps |
TheRuhr Red Army orRed Ruhr Army (German:Rote Ruhrarmee) was aparamilitary of 50,000 to 80,000left-wing workers that fought in theRuhr uprising inWeimar Germany from 13 March to 6 April 1920.
The Ruhr Red Army was formed in Germany'sRuhr region in reaction to theright-wingKapp Putsch from left-wingmilitias that supported the establishment of acouncil republic. It came into conflict with the German government inBerlin after an agreement to end ageneral strike in the region failed.Reichswehr andFreikorps units put down the rebellion with considerable brutality, including summary executions of prisoners and the killing of wounded fighters. The Ruhr Red Army was defeated by 6 April and many surviving members fled to theFrench-occupied Rhineland.
On 13 March 1920, theKapp Putsch was launched byright-wing elements to overthrow the elected government of theWeimar Republic. The majority of Germany'sleft-of-centre political parties andtrade unions responded with a call for a nationwidegeneral strike. It drew around 12 million workers and was largely responsible for the quick failure of the attempted coup by 18 March.[1] ChancellorGustav Bauer of the centre-leftSocial Democratic Party (SPD), the largest party of the rulingWeimar Coalition, called off the strike. Aschism between thecentre-left and far-left parties soon became apparent. In theRuhr, a heavily industrialised region in western Germany, manyfar-leftworkers and union officials did not stop with the strike once the Kapp Putsch failed. They spontaneously formed executive councils (Vollzugsräte) that took power overlocal governments after disarming the localSecurity Police andReichswehr forces. By 22 March, the entire Ruhr district was in their effective control.[2] The executive councils would utilise local workers' defence (Arbeiterwehr) which armed themselves with weapons fromCitizens' Defense (Einwohnerwehr) groups. It was from these workers' defence groups that the Red Ruhr Army was soon formed.[3][4] On 15 March, the government sent theFreikorps Lichtschlag to suppress the uprising but, despite being better armed, were greatly outnumbered and defeated two days later. Their weapons, includingartillery pieces, and 600 members were captured.
At its peak the, Red Ruhr Army's strength is estimated to have been 50,000 to 80,000 members, mostly striking workers with ties to far-left organisations.[5] Of those who belonged to union-based organizations, a small majority came from the free unions and the remainder from theanarcho-syndicalistFree Workers' Union of Germany (FAUD). Among members of political parties, 60% were members of theCommunist Party of Germany (KPD), 30% from theIndependent Social Democratic Party (USPD) and only 10% from the SPD.[6]
On 24 March, local and national government authorities signed theBielefeld Agreement with the moremoderate political parties and executive councils. The agreement called for the Red Ruhr Army to hand over its weapons, with a promise ofamnesty for those who had broken the law in defence of the government against the Kapp Putsch.[7] Leaders of the Red Ruhr Army, however, thought that it would be better to fight against the government than accept the compromises in the agreement. At a meeting a week later, on 1 April, the leaders of the Red Ruhr Army agreed that there was no point in continuing the fight, but it had by then splintered into numerous, largely independent groups over which the leaders had no control. In addition, urgent calls for help were coming in from local citizens and city administrations reporting that Red Ruhr Army members were engaging inextortion,looting and shootings.
On 2 April, the government sent in bothReichswehr andFreikorps troops, who were experienced and heavily armed, into the Ruhr.[8] The uprising was quickly crushed withmass arrests and shootings without it always being clear whether the victims were members of the Red Ruhr Army or not.[8] Wounded fighters were shot, as were ten femalemedics with the Red Ruhr Army who were carryingpistols. Many fighters were reported as having been shot while fleeing, indicating that they were shot in the back. Around 50 had beensummarily executed and an additional 205 condemned bydrumhead courts before the government in Berlin forbade them on 3 April. GeneralOskar von Watter, who was in charge of government troops in the Ruhr, defended himself from other charges that his men had engaged in unlawful behaviour by citing a letter from theMinistry of the Reichswehr that stated, "You are given complete freedom to do what the situation demands".[9][8]
On 5 April, a large part of the surviving Red Ruhr Army fled to theFrench occupied zone of the Rhineland.[10] The skirmish that took place inGelsenkirchen the next day marked the final end of the uprising and of the Red Ruhr Army.[11] The number of insurgents killed has never been accurately determined. HistorianHeinrich August Winkler puts the number at "well over 1,000", the majority of them killed after being captured. The Reichswehr lost 208 killed and 123 missing; the Security Police 41 dead.[8] The number of Freikorps deaths has been put at 273.[citation needed]
