November 1918 was the period of the transition of the region of Alsace from the German sovereignty to the French sovereignty, at the end of World War One. During this month, international events were linked to domestic troubles, particularly the German Revolution.
Marxist councils of workers and soldiers (Soldaten und Arbeiterräte) were formed in Mulhouse on November 9 and in Colmar and Strasbourg on November 10, as consequence of the general revolution rising in the Reich. Under the Empire of 1871–1918, the territory constituting the Reichsland or Imperial Province of Alsace-Lorraine was administered directly by the imperial government in Berlin, and was granted some measure of autonomy in 1911. Particularly, the Kaiser was also the local sovereign of the Land, so that William II's abdication on November 9 involved the fall of the monarchy even at regional level, with a legal lack of power. In this chaotic situation, the Landtag proclaimed itself the supreme authority of the land with the name of Nationalrat, the Soviet of Strasbourg claimed the foundation of a Republic of Alsace-Lorraine, while SPD Reichstag representative for Colmar, Jacques Peirotes, announced the establishment of the French rule, asking to Paris a quick arrival of troops.[1]
While the soviet councils disbanded themseves with the departure of the German troops between November 11 and 17,[2] the situation was stabilized by the arrival of the French Army, which put the region under occupatio bellica, entering in Strasbourg on November 21. The Nationalrat proclaimed the annexation of Alsace to France on December 5, even if it was not internationally recognized until the signature of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
The Council of Strasbourg
In October 1918, the Kaiserliche Marine, which had largely remained in port after the Battle of Jutland, was ordered to leave port to fight the British Royal Navy. However, the naval troops refused to obey: this led to a sailors' mutiny at Kiel. The mutineers took over the main military port and were quickly joined by workers and the trade unions. The revolution spread quickly across Germany, overthrowing the monarchy within a few days. At that time, about 15,000 Alsatians and Lorrains had been incorporated into the Kaiserliche Marine. Several of them joined the insurrection, and decided to rouse their homeland to revolt.
On 8 November, the proclamation of a Republic of Councils in Bavaria was aired in Strasbourg, the capital city of Alsace. Inspired by this, thousands of demonstrators rallied on the Kléber Square, the main square in Strasbourg, to acclaim the first insurgents returning from northern Germany. A train controlled by insurgents was blocked on the Kehl bridge, and a loyal commander ordered to shoot on the train. One insurgent was killed, but his fellows took control of the city of Kehl.
The insurgent seamen established a Soldiers' Council of Strasbourg, and took control of the city. A council of workers and soldiers was then established and presided by the leader of the brewery workers' union. Red flags were flown all over the city, including on the spire of the cathedral. An amnesty was declared, and the freedom of the press was proclaimed. Factory workers went on strike, demanding higher wages; the Soviets raised the wages by decree against the opposition of the factory owners. The social-democrat party leader in Strasbourg, Jacques Peirotes, then asked the French generals to send in their troops to restore order.
Eleven days later, Alsace-Lorraine was occupied by and incorporated into France. French soldiers entered the suburbs of Strasbourg on November 22, 1918, strikes were terminated by force, and agitators were arrested. The streets "Rue du 22 novembre" in Strasbourg and Mulhouse commemorate the union of Alsace to France. The region reverted to the centralized French system and lost its recently acquired autonomy as the départements of Upper and Lower Alsace and Moselle.
References
- ^ Jacques Fortier, « La chute de l'Empire », Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, 16 november 2008 (Fr.)
- ^ Jean-Noël Grandhomme, « Le retour de l'Alsace-Lorraine », L'Histoire, number 336, november 2008 (Fr.)
Sources
- Döblin, A.: Bourgeois & soldats (Novembre 1918), novel, ISBN 2-87653-046-5. In French. Part I of a tetralogy; the whole four books are available in German, ISBN 3-423-59030-0.
- Daeninckx, D.: 11 novembre 1918: le drapeau rouge flotte sur Strasbourg., Amnistia.net, 10 November 2000. In French. URL last accessed April 6, 2006.
- Eschbach, J.: Au Coeur de la Resistance Alsacienne. Le Combat de Paul Dingler, Bentzinger, 2005. ISBN 2-84629-068-7.
- Troester, J.: 22 novembre 1918 : les Français à Strasbourg, in La Grande Guerre Magazine 38, April 2003.
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