⇒ was a left wing group → they were communists who held similar beliefs to the Bolshevik’s in Russia → wanted a Germany ruled by soviets where state would own all industry
- early in 1919 ⇒ Spartacists fought for power
- they were joined by rebel soldiers and sailors who set up soviets in many towns
- However not all soldiers were sympathetic to left wing causes
- there was a group of soldiers who fought against Spartacists
- ⇒ one such group ⇒ Freikorps ⇒ anti communist band of WWI veterans
- Ebert ⇒ made an agreement with commanders of the army and Freikorps ⇒ to put down the rebellion
- bitter street fighting and casualties followed
- Eventually Freikorps won
- Ebert ⇒ used the same tactic ⇒ to crush other communist uprisings that took place between 1919 and 1920.
- Estimated that death toll was at least 2000.
- Despite this ⇒ communists remained a powerful anti govt force in Germany throughout 1920s