November 9 is a highly complex day in German history. Every year, it coincides with a time of celebration and commemoration. The date stands for epochal turning points in German history. And when I was still teaching and asked my pupils for the date of an event, I often said: Try THAT date! And lo and behold - the answer was usually right.
November 9 is so important in German history that I remember the most important events every year:
1848: Failure of the March Revolution
“I die for freedom” were the last words of Robert Blum, a member of parliament. On November 9, 1848, the democrat was shot by the troops of the counter-revolution in Vienna. The event marked the beginning of the end of the so-called March Revolution in the states of the German Confederation. The revolutionary era had begun in France, spread to almost all of Europe and finally reached Germany. The spiritual foundation of the revolutionary movement were the so-called March Demands. These included the desire for a constitution, the end of monarchical authority and popular sovereignty. They also focused on the national question - the demand for national unity and independence - and the social question, in particular the demand for the complete liberation of peasants and social security for free wage laborers. However, the first attempt to align Germany with liberal and national principles as part of a European modernization failed due to resistance from reactionary forces. Blum died for the idea of what was to develop over the centuries into a democratic Germany.
1918: November Revolution
In the fall of 1918, events in the German Reich came thick and fast. In view of the already certain defeat of the Germans in the First World War (1914-1918), the call for peace and the abdication of the Kaiser grew louder. A revolution broke out in the Reich: strikes broke out in factories and workers' and soldiers' councils were formed in many cities. On November 9, the revolution also reached Berlin, where Chancellor Maximilian von Baden announced the abdication of the Emperor on his own authority out of fear of a radical political upheaval. The deputy leader of the SPD, Philipp Scheidemann, then proclaimed the “German Republic”.
You can listen to Scheidemann's proclamation here
He thus sealed the end of Hohenzollern rule. He was two hours ahead of Karl Liebknecht, who proclaimed the “Free Socialist Republic of Germany” from the Berlin Palace. This double proclamation of the republic showed how divided the Germans were, which made things difficult for the young republic from the outset:
It lacked popular support, unity, and support from the executive. Mass unemployment, war damage and demands for reparations from the First World War presented Weimar democracy with a constant struggle. Across Europe, anti-democratic movements gained momentum and provided the breeding ground for the rise of fascism and National Socialism.
Incidentally, I wrote a teaching unit on the double proclamation of the republic, which was published by Brockhaus Edsnacks. https://brockhaus.de/info/schulen/edsnacks/
1923: Hitler-Ludendorff putsch
Inflation, communist unrest, and the occupation of the Ruhr region encouraged the emergence of reactionary and nationalist movements in the early 1920s. In this unstable political situation, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) planned a coup as leader of the NSDAP in Munich. His aim was to depose the government in Berlin and seize power himself in a national dictatorship. On Sunday morning of November 9, 1923, Hitler marched to the Feldherrnhalle in Munich together with General Erich Ludendorff and other supporters. However, the Bavarian police stopped the march and with it, Hitler's attempt to seize power by force. There was an exchange of fire, Hitler fled in cowardice and several people died. A text I wrote about the events can be read here: https://www.sofatutor.com/geschichte/videos/1923-hitlerputsch#hitlerputsch-verlauf-in-stichpunkten
The NSDAP was then banned and Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison. Ten years later, he succeeded in gaining power.
1938: November pogrom
On the night of 9 to 10 November 1938, SA thugs and members of the SS organized violent attacks on people of the Jewish faith in the German Reich. The evening before, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels had emphasized at a comradeship evening in the Old Town Hall in Munich that riots against Jews were “neither to be prepared nor organized by the party”. However, they were “not to be opposed if they arose spontaneously”. The Nazi leadership present at this speech informed their Gau leadership that same evening. Himmler ordered Heydrich: the state police were to prevent looting, but otherwise not intervene. Fires were only to be extinguished to protect surrounding buildings. At the same time, as many Jews as possible were to be arrested in all districts. The results were devastating: Around 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed, over 1,200 synagogues burnt down and countless homes vandalized. 91 Jews were beaten to death or stabbed to death. In the days that followed, over 30,000 Jewish men were arrested throughout the German Reich and deported to the Dachau, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. Around 1,300 people died as a result of the November pogroms due to violence, inhumane prison conditions or suicide. The hatred of Jews and the violent riots were organized by the National Socialist leadership. It had systematically promoted the discrimination and persecution of Jewish citizens since Hitler came to power. The hatred, the murders, the attacks, the arson and torture, the arbitrary arrests and violent deportations on November 9, 1938 went down in history as “Reichspogromnacht”. It was a turning point. In the days and months following the pogroms, a new wave of laws was passed that further restricted the rights of Jewish Germans.
1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall
500,000 demonstrators gathered for a rally on Berlin's Alexanderplatz on November 4, 1989, just as many two days later in Leipzig - the demonstration movement against the SED regime in the GDR reached its peak at the beginning of November 1989. Under internal pressure and the Monday demonstrations in Leipzig and other East German cities, the SED regime collapsed. On November 7, the GDR government, the Council of Ministers, resigned, followed a day later by the Politbüro. They made way for a new leadership. On the evening of November 9, GDR Politbüro member Günter Schabowski surprisingly announced the immediate opening of the Wall at a press conference: the new travel regulations for GDR citizens would come into force “immediately”. As a result, thousands of East Berliners flocked to their city's border crossings. At around 11.30 pm, the border guards at the “Bornholmer Straße” border crossing between the two German states could no longer cope with the rush of people. The crossing was opened. The way to German reunification was free.
I hope you agree with me: What a day!
More about this special German date can be found - in German - here https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/hintergrund-aktuell/172172/der-9-november-in-der-deutschen-geschichte/