1. The Spartacist Revolt Lesson starter
explain why the new German Government were already unpopular by (give at least 2 reasons)
Ebert

2. We are learning to… I can…
Describe the events of the Spartacist Revolt
Explain how it helped the Nazis
Produce a newspaper article documenting the events of the Revolt
I can…

3. Notetaking/ Reporting task
3 sources: PowerPoint Video materials Bitesize Page (only if required for support) Task: Take quick, key word notes Turn them into a detailed newspaper article

4. Task one: watch the Spartacist Revolt in The Rise of Evil
Write down at least THREE WORDS which sum up what you see/hear.

6. As a reporter like Fritz Gerlich might do, you are going to take only very brief ‘key word’ notes from the sources of information
This can be just as useful, if not more so, than detailed bullet points and sentences
Get as much useful information as you can in a short space of time

8. Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were two Germans who were unhappy with the new government They were called The Spartacists

9. In January 1919, Liebknecht and Luxemburg led a movement to try and get rid of Ebert’s government
They wanted to turn Germany into a Communist country like Russia
They started a movement of violence in the streets of Germany
They captured newspaper offices and railway stations and even a brewery
They toppled statues of the Kaiser

12. Spartacists at the Brandenburg Gate

13. The Spartacists had 100,000 people involved in their revolt
The new German leader Ebert was worried – Germany did not have a large enough army to put down a revolt of this size
Wilhelm Groener – leader of the German Army

14. They were called The Freikorps
Groener organised a group of violent ex-soldiers to fight the Spartacists
They were called The Freikorps
They were ruthless and right-wing – they hated Communists
Over 700 people were killed in the violence that followed
The Freikorps

15. The Freikorps were able to put down the Spartacist Revolt
The revolt showed that there was huge opposition to the Weimar Government
It also showed the Weimar government were incapable of running Germany
The Freikorps were later recruited by Hitler to become his Militia (The SA)

18. Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were executed for their part in the uprising People began to associate the Communists with violence

19. Why did the Spartacist Revolt fail?
Karl Liebnecht and Rosa Luxemburg did not plan their uprising well enough
Karl and Rosa were killed in police custody
The Government acted very quickly in organising the Friekorps to put down the uprising
The Spartacists were arguing amongst themselves – they were not united
Their supporters started to get bored standing around in freezing Berlin and went home

20. How did the Spartacist Revolt help the Nazis?
People were terrified of these violent Communists who caused such bloodshed – The Nazis gained support because they were anti – Communist
People started to think the Weimar government were incapable of keeping law and order – they wanted a new government
The men in the Friekorps were recruited by Hitler and Ernst Röhm to become the SA, the Nazi’s paramilitary wing

21. The Berlin Reporter
You are going to imagine you are Fritz Gerlich, an eyewitness to the violent Spartacist Revolt in 1919
It is your job to report the events that have unfolded in January 1919 to the citizens of Berlin and Germany
You should rely on the brief notes you have and your textbook article. Good Luck!
Readers will want to know;
The aims of the Spartacists
Who was involved (names)
What happened (the events – min 4)
How many were killed
What this means for the future of Germany and the Weimar government (some)

22. What have I learned?
Write a list of 10 key words/ phrases/ facts & figures you would expect to see in a description of the Spartacist Revolt. Example ‘violence’ or ‘Communists’ These words will be used in our bingo game.

23. History Bingo

24. Bingo Words Kaiser Communism Socialists Right wing Rosa Luxemburg 1919
Friekorps
Death
Spartacists
Ebert
Chaos
Revolution
Violent
Munich
100,000
Karl Liebknecht
Left Wing
700

25. Bingo Words Socialists Chaos Violent revolution New government Reds
Rosa Luxemburg
Keep the peace
Uprising
Reduced in size
Communists
Break the power
January 1919
9th November
General strike
Socialism
Berlin
Chaos
New government
Took over
Spartacists
Ruled
Angry
Spartacus League
Betray
Workers
Friekorps
Control of the city
Karl Liebknecht
Fight against Communism
100,000

26. N5 Timed Question
Describe the events of the Spartacist Uprising in marks Time – 8 mins (2 min p/mark)