Kurt Eisner
Kurt Eisner
Journalist who overthrew the Bavarian monarchy in Munich in November 1918, proclaimed the People’s State and was assassinated the next year
He organized the November 1918 Bavarian Revolution, overthrew the monarchy and proclaimed the People’s State; he was assassinated in February 1919 while on his way to resign.
Born to a Jewish merchant family in Berlin, he was a theatre critic and editor of the SPD’s Vorwärts before moving to Munich. He joined the USPD against the war and was jailed for leading the munitions strike of January 1918. On 7 November he led demonstrators from a rally on the Theresienwiese round the barracks, and the next day proclaimed the People’s State of Bavaria and became premier. His publication of documents on German war guilt earned him the right’s hatred. Heavily defeated in the January 1919 election, he was assassinated by Count Arco-Valley on 21 February on his way to resign.
Career timeline
- 1890–1895Contributing editor of the Frankfurter Zeitung.
- 1898Joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
- 1900–1905Edited Vorwärts.
- 1907–1910Chief editor of the Fränkische Tagespost in Nuremberg.
- 1917Joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD).
- 1918Convicted of treason for inciting a munitions workers’ strike, he was imprisoned at Stadelheim and released in October under a general amnesty.
- 1918–1919Served as the first republican premier of the People’s State of Bavaria.