Kurt Eisner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister President of thePeople's State of Bavaria | |
| In office 8 November 1918 – 21 February 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Otto Ritter von Dandl (asChairman of the Council of Ministers) |
| Succeeded by | Johannes Hoffmann |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1867-05-14)14 May 1867 |
| Died | 21 February 1919(1919-02-21) (aged 51) Munich, Bavaria |
| Nationality | German |
| Party | Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (1917–1919) Social Democratic Party of Germany (1898–1917) |
Kurt Eisner (German pronunciation:[kʊʁtˈʔaɪsnɐ]; 14 May 1867 – 21 February 1919)[1] was a German politician, revolutionary, journalist, and theatre critic. As a socialist journalist, he organized the socialist revolution that overthrew theWittelsbach monarchy inBavaria in November 1918, which led to him being described as "the symbol of the Bavarian revolution".[2][1] Eisner subsequently proclaimed thePeople's State of Bavaria but was assassinated by far-right Bavarian nationalistAnton Graf von Arco auf Valley in Munich on 21 February 1919.
He is used as an example ofcharismatic authority byMax Weber.[3]
Kurt Eisner was born inBerlin on 14 May 1867, to Emanuel Eisner and Hedwig Levenstein, bothJewish.[4] Newspaper reports of his death identify him as being born in theKingdom of Galicia.[5] From 1892 to 1917 he was married to painter Elisabeth Hendrich, with whom he had five children. After they divorced Eisner married Elise Belli, an editor. With her, he had two daughters.
Eisner studied philosophy, but then became a journalist inMarburg. From 1890 to 1895, he was contributing editor of theFrankfurter Zeitung, during which time he wrote an article attacking KaiserWilhelm II, and for which he spent nine months in prison.[6] Eisner was always an open republican as well as a Social-Democrat, joining theSPD in 1898, although for tactical reasons, German Social-Democracy, particularly in its later stages, rather cold-shouldered anything in the shape of republican propaganda as unnecessary and included in general Social-Democratic aims. Consequently, he fought actively for political democracy as well as Social-Democracy. He became editor ofVorwärts after the death ofWilhelm Liebknecht in 1900, but in 1905 was called upon to resign by a majority of the editorial board, which favored more orthodox Marxists.[7] After that, his activities were confined in the main to Bavaria, though he toured other parts of Germany.[8][9] He was chief editor of theFränkische Tagespost inNuremberg from 1907 to 1910, and afterward became afreelance journalist in Munich.
Eisner joined theIndependent Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1917, at the height ofWorld War I, and was convicted oftreason in 1918 for his role in inciting astrike of munitions workers. He spent nine months in Cell 70 ofStadelheim Prison, but was released during the General Amnesty in October of that year.[10]
After his release from prison, Eisner organized the revolution that overthrew themonarchy in Bavaria (seeGerman Revolution). He declared Bavaria to be afree state and republic, thePeople's State of Bavaria, on 8 November 1918, becoming the first republicanpremier of Bavaria. On 23 November 1918, he leaked documents from the Bavarianplenipotentiary in Berlin during July and August 1914 that he thought proved that the war was caused by "a small horde of mad Prussian military" men as well as "allied" industrialists, capitalists, politicians, and princes.[11] At theBerne Conference of Socialists held inBern, Switzerland, he attacked moderate German socialists for their refusal to acknowledge Germany's part in bringing aboutWorld War I. For that speech, and for his uncompromising hostility to Prussia, he became bitterly hated by large sections of the German people.[6]
Eisner was assassinated in Munich when German nationalistAnton Graf von Arco auf Valley shot him in the back on 21 February 1919. At the time, Eisner had been on his way to present his resignation to theBavarian parliament.[12] His assassination resulted in the elected government of the People's State of Bavaria fleeing Munich and the establishment of the short-livedBavarian Soviet Republic and parliament.[13]
Arco-Valley was tried for murder in January 1920. He was found guilty and sentenced to death, but his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. The State Prosecutor said of him, "If the whole German youth were imbued with such a glowing enthusiasm we could face the future with confidence."[14] He served his sentence offortress confinement at Landsberg Prison in cell 70, and in 1924 he was evicted from his cell to make way forAdolf Hitler. He was released in 1925, and was on probation until 1927, when he waspardoned.[15] In June 1945, Arco-Valley was killed in a traffic accident inSalzburg, after the horse-drawn carriage which he was riding in collided with aU.S. Army vehicle.[16]
Eisner had a very large funeral with thousands of attendants coming to mourn his death.[17] Certain authors have argued that Adolf Hitler was in attendance.[18][19] A separate photo and video have been used as evidence that he was: in a photograph a man purported to be Hitler (based on physical appearance) is observing a memorial procession from the side (not participating) while Russian prisoners of war carry a portrait of Eisner. In the footage of Eisner's funeral, another man (actually participating) claimed to be Hitler can be seen wearing a black armband to symbolize the mourning of Eisner, as well as a red armband which represented support for the socialist revolution in Munich.[19] Historians debate about the authenticity of the claim, especially with regard to the grainy footage, and Thomas Weber concluded that it was impossible to know for sure, while other historians outright dismiss it.[20][21] Representatives of Hitler's unit (List Regiment) were ordered to encourage soldiers to attend a memorial procession of Eisner, but this was in April 1919 and separate from the earlier funeral in February.[22][23] Author Peter den Hartog has concluded Hitler's attendance can safely be considered a “myth”.[24] As of May 1919 Hitler was an informant for theReichswehr.[25] The idea that Hitler attended Eisner’s funeral and supported the Soviet Bavarian Republic originate with German journalist and documentarianGuido Knopp.[26] (In 2004, a group of international historians warned that documentaries like the ones produced by Knopp could reduce important historic facts to mereinfotainment.[27])
When thePassau labor union tried to stage a play about Eisner at the bishopric theater in 1920,Reichswehr soldiers and high school students sabotaged it, using weapons from the military arsenal. Among other things, 11 machine guns were used. The incident, dubbed thePassau Theater Scandal, triggered media headlines and a variety of judicial procedures.[28]
Eisner was buried in theMunichOstfriedhof. On 1 May 1922 the Free Trades Unions of Munich (Münchner Freien Gewerkschaften) commissioned a monument dedicated to "the Dead of the Revolution". The urn containing Eisner's ashes was walled into its pedestal. Shortly after theNational Socialists took power the Monument to the Revolution was destroyed: it was demolished on 22 June 1933, and the urn with Eisner's ashes was moved to the New Jewish Cemetery, where it is still buried. The monument in the Ostfriedhof was re-created afterWorld War II by the artist Konstantin Frick as a faithful copy of the original.
In 1989, a monument was installed in the pavement at the site of Eisner's assassination. It reads,Kurt Eisner, der am 9. November 1918 die Bayerische Republik ausrief, nachmaliger Ministerpräsident des Volksstaates Bayern, wurde an dieser Stelle am 21. Februar 1919 ermordet ("Kurt Eisner, who proclaimed the Bavarian republic on 8 November 1918 – later Prime Minister of the Republic of Bavaria – was murdered here on 21 February 1919").[29]
Eisner was the author of various books and pamphlets, including:[9]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Bavaria 1918–1919 | Succeeded by |
Minister-presidents of the Free State ofBavaria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Revolutionary period (1918–19) |  | |
| Weimar period (1919–33) | ||
| Nazi period (1933–45) | ||
| Modern Bavaria (since 1945) | ||
* Acting | ||
