Freikorps

In the wake of The First World War, thousands of ex-German soldiers returned home from the eastern and western fronts. Many of these veterans firmly believed that Germany had not lost the war and vehemently disagreed with the oppressive terms of the Treaty of Versailles. One of the most vocal groups – the Freikorps – sought to reverse the terms of Versailles through violence and coercion.

Freikorps Definition

The Freikorps was an armed, right-wing group of former German soldiers who held nationalistic, anti-communist, and anti-Treaty of Versailles views. Initially utilised by the Weimar Government to quash the German Revolution and the Bavarian Soviet Republic, the Freikorps were forcibly disbanded in 1920. This led to the Freikorps launching a coup against the German government known as the Kapp Putsch. After their unsuccessful attempt to gain power, many members of the Freikorps became members of the Nazi Party.

Freikorps Germany

Let's look at a brief timeline to outline the key events surrounding the Freikorps in Germany.

Origins of the Freikorps

The origins of the Freikorps began in 1762 when Frederick II of Prussia deployed them during the Seven Years' War. Mainly volunteers from Berlin, the Freikorps were considered unreliable and used primarily for minor duties such as sentry work.

Fig. 1 - Freikorps in 1798

The Freikorps were also utilised in the Napoleonic Wars against France. Such groups of Freikorps were generally students or young nobles who lacked sufficient military experience.

Early 19^th-century German romanticism elevated the Freikorps' reputation. They were idealistically portrayed as patriots, fighting tooth and nail to ward off foreign invaders. In many instances, the Freikorps were regarded in a better light than the professional soldier.

Fig. 2 - Armed Freikorps paramilitaries in Berlin in 1919

Weimar Freikorps

In January 1919, 100,000 workers went on strike in Berlin, hoping to establish a communist state in Germany. The Freikorp were called into action and brutally crushed the uprising. Let's look at this historic event, the Spartacist Revolt.

Background

With a humiliating defeat in the First World War, severe food shortages, and an influenza epidemic, Germany was in a dire situation by 1918. Such discontent boiled over on 28 October 1918. The German navy was to be dispatched to the English Channel, where they would fight the British navy. However, sailors at Wilhelmshaven refused to board their ships.

The following day, this rebellion extended to Kiel, where workers and sailors refused to observe orders. The mutiny in Kiel quickly turned into an open rebellion against the German monarchy. By 8 November 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II had abdicated, and the Weimar Republic, led by Friedrich Ebert, was proclaimed in Berlin.

The Spartacist's

In November 1918, Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg founded the Spartacus League from their previously established "International Group". The new group, named after the Roman enslaved person Spartacus, aimed to overthrow the German government and establish a soviet republic in Germany.

The Spartacist Revolt Begins

In December 1918, Liebknecht and Luxemburg called for Germany to be made into a soviet republic; this request was rejected by the Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils.

In January 1919, approximately 100,000 German workers went on strike, launching a demonstration in Berlin. The Spartacists seized this opportunity, taking over newspaper buildings and communication outlets.

Fig. 3 - Spartacist Uprising

The German government employed the Freikorps to put down the uprising. The Freikorps killed some 100 workers and arrested and brutally executed Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

The Bavarian Soviet Republic

On 12 April 1919, the Communist Party of Germany, led by Eugen Levine, seized power in Bavaria and established the Bavarian Soviet Republic.

Some 30,000 Freikorps were sent to Bavaria in late April 1919. Despite the Communists putting up little resistance, the Freikorps acted with unwarranted brutality and violence. On 5 May, the Freikorps travelled to Perlach, a town on the outskirts of Munich. They chose a dozen workers they claimed were communists and executed them on the spot. The following day, the Freikorps interrupted a meeting of the St Joseph Society – a local Catholic organisation. They shot and beat some 30 members of the group to death.

Eastern Europe

The Freikorps also exercised excessive violence and brutality in Eastern Europe, fighting against the communists in Poland, Latvia, and East Prussia. The Freikorp positioned themselves as the protectors of Germany, fighting to control Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – territories they had gained due to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918).

The Freikorp expeditions in Eastern Europe were particularly brutal; they massacred 500 Latvian citizens who they claimed were housing Bolsheviks and slaughtered 3,000 citizens during the capture of Riga.

Freikorps Uprising

Throughout their expedition in Eastern Europe, the Freikorps ignored orders from the German Army and government, severely diminishing their reputation. Furthermore, with the communist revolts dealt with, there was little need for the Freikorps; for German President Ebert, the Freikorps had served their purpose. Consequently, in March 1920, the government attempted to disband the Freikorps. This action led to the Kapp Putsch.

Kapp Putsch Freikorps

After the government attempted to disband them in March 1920, the Freikorps turned against the government. Approximately 5,000 Freikorps troops marched on Berlin. Despite orders from Ebert, the German Army refused to act against former soldiers and stop the Freikorps uprising.

On 12 March 1920, the Freikorps took over Berlin, establishing a new government led by Freikorps leader Wolfgang Kapp. Kapp invited the former Kaiser Wilhelm II to return from the Netherlands and resume his position as Emperor.

Fig. 4 - Wolfgang Kapp

After fleeing to Dresden, the Weimar government encouraged the workers of Berlin to strike. This brought Berlin to a halt, making it impossible for the new government to govern. Consequently, the Weimar Government's power was restored after just four days.

After the Kapp Putsch, members of the Freikorps were removed from the German Army, and the government stopped funding the group. Only in 1923, with the rise of the Nazi Party, would the Freikorps be resurrected.

The Freikorps and the Nazi Party

The rise of the Nazi Party during the 1920s led to a resurgence in the Freikorps. Many former Freikorp members joined the SA (Sturmabteilung) and SS (Schutzstaffel). By this time, however, the Freikorps had lost their military value. They were utilised by the Nazis merely as thugs to intimate political opponents. During this time, the Freikorps enjoyed a period of heightened prestige; the group became a symbol of nationalism, masculinity, and anti-communism.

Fig. 5 - Freikorps Recruitment Poster

As the years passed, however, Hitler began to view the Freikorps as a potential threat to his leadership. During the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, several high-ranking Freikorps members were executed. Following the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler declared the Freikorps 'moral degenerates…aimed at the destruction of all existing institutions'. He stated they were 'pathological enemies of the state…(and) enemies of all authority'.¹

The Night of the Long Knives removed the prestige, legitimacy, and power of the Freikorps. While the de-establishment of the Freikorps was nothing new – it had been officially disbanded in 1920 and managed to survive – the situation in 1934 was much different. Hitler had successfully recast the once romanticised group of patriots as enemies of the Nazi state, thus ensuring their demise was permanent.