Pretty much any book on Weimar will discuss political violence, but I often find that to be a side note to either discussions of politics, economy, or culture.
Who was using this violence. I know about the Steel helments, the SA, the Freikorp, the Red Front Fighters' League, in that they exist, but I know nothing else. What was their membership composed of? How did they justify their violence? How successful were they, either in engaging violence or in turning the populace to their side? Were their other groups? How did the members react to engaging in such violence and what were their psychologies?
Was there any international element to the violence? I know there was a Polish-Soviet War, so did any of the Freikorp fight in that? Or the communists for that matter?
Was there heightened police violence in response to paramilitary violence?
Hi, I study German history and this is my first attempt at a comment on this subreddit, so here goes:
Using Carl Storer's book 'A Short History of the Weimar Republic' as a secondary source, political violence in the early Weimar Republic started as Germany was losing WW1
Interestingly, there were also anti-war demonstrations, which sparked police violencce; for example the mutiny of soldiers at a naval base in Kiel. This was in response to a leaked 'decision by right wing officers... to order the Kreigsmarine to be put to sea for a final suicidal confrontation with the [British] Royal Navy.' ^1 There were 'initial heavy handed attempts' by the police to crush the repeated anti-war protests, (attempts which could count as minor political violence and would therefore belong under this week's theme).
The Freikorps were groups of paramilitary troops, made up of former German soldiers in WW1, and returning to a Republic they were 'reluctant to support'. German veterans could join a Freikorps,and they were led by ex- army generals, ie General Märcker, who 'sucessfully recruited several thousand men'. The Freikorps formed against a 'precieved danger of a Communist dictatorship in Germany' ^1 They were particularly against the Spartakasbund, a far left wing group, and justified their violence by believing that they were protecting Germany from the far left revolutionary groups. Though the Weimar Republic felt they needed the Freikorps protect them from radical left wing groups, the Freikorps didn't necesarily agree with the idea of a republic, especially one seemingly imposed on Germany after the war.