Berlin German Freikorps Soldier Medic Revolution 1919 Real Photo Postcard
The "Straßenkämpfe Berlin 1919" refers to the violent street battles that engulfed Berlin in the immediate aftermath of World War I, particularly the Spartacist Uprising of January 1919. This revolutionary period saw intense clashes between the Communist Spartacus League, led by figures such as Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, and the Freikorps, right-wing paramilitary units sanctioned by the provisional government to suppress the communist revolution.
These brutal conflicts were a pivotal and bloody chapter in the founding of the Weimar Republic, reflecting the profound political and social instability in post-imperial Germany. The image vividly captures the chaos of the time, showing civilians, including one with a Red Cross armband and another holding a flag with a black cross (a traditional German military symbol), aiding an injured person amidst the debris of a public advertising column. The suppression of these uprisings, while establishing temporary government control, deepened ideological divisions that contributed to future political unrest.
These brutal conflicts were a pivotal and bloody chapter in the founding of the Weimar Republic, reflecting the profound political and social instability in post-imperial Germany. The image vividly captures the chaos of the time, showing civilians, including one with a Red Cross armband and another holding a flag with a black cross (a traditional German military symbol), aiding an injured person amidst the debris of a public advertising column. The suppression of these uprisings, while establishing temporary government control, deepened ideological divisions that contributed to future political unrest.
