Ruhr uprising

Ruhr uprising
	Part of the reactions to the Kapp Putsch,; Revolutions of 1917–1923 and; Political violence in Germany (1918–1933)
	; Members of the Red Ruhr Army in Dortmund
Date	13 March – 6 April 1920; (3 weeks and 3 days);
Location	Ruhr, Germany
Result	Government victory
Belligerents
Weimar Republic Reichswehr; Security Police; Freikorps Freikorps Lichtschlag; Marinebrigade Loewenfeld;	Red Ruhr Army KPD; KAPD; USPD; FAUD;
Commanders and leaders
Oskar von Watter	Workers' councils
Strength
Unknown	50,000–80,000
Casualties and losses
645 killed and missing Reichswehr:; 208 killed; 123 missing; Police: 41 killed; Freikorps: 273 killed	1,000+ rebels killed

The Ruhr uprising (German: Ruhraufstand) or March uprising (Märzaufstand) was an uprising that occurred in the Ruhr region of Germany from 13 March to 6 April 1920. It was a left-wing workers' revolt triggered by the call for a general strike in response to the Kapp Putsch, then became an armed rebellion when far-left workers used the strike as an opportunity to attempt the establishment of a council republic.^[1]

Spontaneously formed workers' councils sprang up across the Ruhr during the strike and took control of the region with the support of 50,000–80,000 armed workers who formed the Red Ruhr Army.^[2] Early attempts at suppression by the Freikorps were defeated which led the German government in Berlin to negotiate a peaceful settlement without success. The Reichswehr and other Freikorps troops under the command of Oskar von Watter were sent into the Ruhr and acted with considerable brutality, including summary executions of prisoners and the killing of wounded fighters. The Red Ruhr Army was defeated by early April and most surviving rebels were arrested or fled to the French-occupied Rhineland.

An estimated 1,000 workers and about 600 Reichswehr and Freikorps soldiers were killed.^[3] France briefly occupied some cities in Germany, including Frankfurt and Darmstadt, in response to Reichswehr's activity in the Ruhr.^[4] The Social Democratic Party, which had led the governments of the Weimar Republic until then, lost 62 seats in the Reichstag at the June 1920 general election, in part because of the way it had handled the uprising.^[5]

^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Winkler, Heinrich August (1993). Weimar 1918–1933. Die Geschichte der ersten deutschen Demokratie [Weimar 1918–1933. The History of the FIrst German Democracy] (in German). Munich: C.H. Beck. p. 134. ISBN 3-406-37646-0.
^ Cite error: The named reference C1920 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:5-1] Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:2-2] Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] Winkler, Heinrich August (1993). Weimar 1918–1933. Die Geschichte der ersten deutschen Demokratie [Weimar 1918–1933. The History of the FIrst German Democracy] (in German). Munich: C.H. Beck. p. 134. ISBN 3-406-37646-0.

[C1920-4] Cite error: The named reference C1920 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:6-5] Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]