100 years ago — November 9, 1918, shortly after 2 pm: Philipp Scheidemann proclaims the Republic in Germany
A few days after the Kiel mutinity, rebellion against the monarchy and de-facto military regime had spread throughout Germany and had already caused a number of local monarchs to abdicate. On the morning of November 9, Reich Chancellor Max von Baden had finally announced the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II., before the latter had actually decided about that himself. When Wilhelm learned about that in his headquarters in Spa (Belgium), he fled to the Netherlands, signing the abdication document not before November 28.
When word had spread about the abdication, masses of protesters poured into the center of Berlin, demonstrating between the city castle and the Reichstag, the parliament building, expecting politicians to speak to them.
Philipp Scheidemann, politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), had already held a speech to calm down the people from a window of the Reich Chancellory and recalled later that he was having a watery soup for lunch when a bunch of people burst into the room telling him that communist Karl Liebknecht was about to proclaim a soviet republic in Germany. Having seen the atrocities that had happened in Russia, he wanted to avoid such a scenario in Germany under all circumstances. He immediately got up, climbed onto the next windowsill and held the following speech, which was stenographed down by an Austrian journalist, proclaiming the republic:
“Das deutsche Volk hat auf der ganzen Linie gesiegt. Das alte Morsche ist zusammengebrochen; der Militarismus ist erledigt! Die Hohenzollern haben abgedankt! Es lebe die deutsche Republik! Der Abgeordnete Ebert ist zum Reichskanzler ausgerufen worden. Ebert ist damit beauftragt worden, eine neue Regierung zusammenzustellen. Dieser Regierung werden alle sozialistischen Parteien angehören.
Jetzt besteht unsere Aufgabe darin, diesen glänzenden Sieg, diesen vollen Sieg des deutschen Volkes nicht beschmutzen zu lassen und deshalb bitte ich Sie, sorgen Sie dafür, daß keine Störung der Sicherheit eintrete! Wir müssen stolz sein können in alle Zukunft auf diesen Tag! Nichts darf existieren, was man uns später wird vorwerfen können! Ruhe, Ordnung und Sicherheit ist das, was wir jetzt brauchen!
Dem Oberkommandierenden in den Marken Alexander von Linsingen und dem Kriegsminister Schëuch werden je ein Beauftragter beigegeben. Der Abgeordnete Genosse Göhre wird alle Verordnungen des Kriegsministers Schëuch gegenzeichnen. Also gilt von jetzt ab, die Verfügungen, die unterzeichnet sind von Ebert, und die Kundmachungen, die gezeichnet sind mit den Namen Göhre und Schëuch, zu respektieren.
Sorgen Sie dafür, daß die neue deutsche Republik, die wir errichten werden, nicht durch irgendetwas gefährdet werde. Es lebe die deutsche Republik.”
“The German people has won across the board. The old and rotten has collapsed; Militarism is done! The Hohenzollerns have abdicated! Long live the German Republic! Representative Ebert has been proclaimed Chancellor. Ebert has been charged with putting together a new government. This government will be consist of all socialist parties.
Now our task is not to spoil this brilliant victory, this full victory of the German people and therefore I ask you to take care that no disturbance of safety occurs! We have to be proud of this this day forever! Nothing must exist that we will later be accused of! Peace, order and security is what we need now!
The commander-in-chief in the brands Alexander von Linsingen and War Minister Schëuch are each joined by a representative. The deputy Comrade Göhre will countersign all ordinances of the Minister of War Schëuch. So from now on, the decrees signed by Ebert and the proclamations drawn by the names of Göhre and Schëuch are to be respected.
Make sure that the new German republic we are building is not jeopardized by anything. Long live the German Republic.”
Two years later, Scheidemann has recorded the speech using a slightly different wording:
“ Arbeiter und Soldaten! Furchtbar waren die vier Kriegsjahre. Grauenhaft waren die Opfer, die das Volk an Gut und Blut hat bringen müssen. Der unglückselige Krieg ist zu Ende; das Morden ist vorbei. Die Folgen des Kriegs, Not und Elend, werden noch viele Jahre lang auf uns lasten. Die Niederlage, die wir unter allen Umständen verhüten wollten, ist uns nicht erspart geblieben. Unsere Verständigungsvorschläge wurden sabotiert, wir selbst wurden verhöhnt und verleumdet.
Die Feinde des werktätigen Volkes, die wirklichen inneren Feinde, die Deutschlands Zusammenbruch verschuldet haben, sind still und unsichtbar geworden. Das waren die Daheimkrieger, die ihre Eroberungsforderungen bis zum gestrigen Tage ebenso aufrechterhielten, wie sie den verbissensten Kampf gegen jede Reform der Verfassung und besonders des schändlichen preußischen Wahlsystems geführt haben. Diese Volksfeinde sind hoffentlich für immer erledigt. Der Kaiser hat abgedankt. Er und seine Freunde sind verschwunden. Über sie alle har das Volk auf der ganzen Linie gesiegt. Prinz Max von Baden hat sein Reichskanzleramt dem Abgeordneten Ebert übergeben. Unser Freund wird eine Arbeiterregierung bilden, der alle sozialistischen Parteien angehören werden. Die neue Regierung darf nicht gestört werden in ihrer Arbeit für den Frieden, in der Sorge um Arbeit und Brot.
Arbeiter und Soldaten! Seid Euch der geschichtlichen Bedeutung dieses Tages bewusst. Unerhörtes ist geschehen. Große und unübersehbare Arbeit steht uns bevor. Alles für das Volk, alles durch das Volk. Nichts darf geschehen, was der Arbeiterbewegung zur Unehre gereicht. Seid einig, treu und pflichtbewusst. Das Alte und Morsche, die Monarchie ist zusammengebrochen. Es lebe das Neue, es lebe die deutsche Republik.”
Workers and soldiers! Terrible were the four years of war. Horrifying were the sacrifices that the people had to make in wealth and blood. The unfortunate war is over; the killing is over. The consequences of the war, hardship and misery will continue to burden us for many years to come. We have not been spared of the defeat that we wanted to prevent under all circumstances. Our rapprochement proposals were sabotaged, we ourselves were ridiculed and slandered.
The enemies of the working people, the real internal enemies who have caused Germany's collapse, have become silent and invisible. These were the warriors-at-home who upheld their conquest requests until yesterday as well as their most dogged fight against any reform of the constitution and especially of the shameful Prussian electoral system. These enemies of the people are hopefully done forever. The Kaiser has abdicated. He and his friends have disappeared. Over all of them, the people have triumphed all along the line. Prince Max of Baden handed over his Reich Chancellery to the deputy Ebert. Our friend will form a workers government to which all socialist parties will belong. The new government must not be disturbed in its work for peace, in the concern for work and bread.
Workers and soldiers! Be aware of the historical significance of this day. Something unprecedented has happened. Large and unmistakable work is ahead of us. Everything for the people, all through the people. Nothing must happen that would dishonor the workers' movement. Be united, faithful and dutiful. The old and the rotten, the monarchy has collapsed. Long live the new, long live the German Republic.
Some film footage has also survived, shown here with an abbreviated version of Scheidemann’s speech that is now better known:
About two hours later, Karl Liebknecht, leader of the Spartakus League, proclaimed the soviet republic, first from the roof of a truck, then from a balcony of the Berlin castle after it had been stormed by protesters.
Although the newspapers had covered Liebknecht’s speech much more broadly, the Spartacus League did not succeed: they did not have a sufficiently large basis for power in politics and administration. They continued to fight until they were defeated in the Spartacus Rebellion in January 1919, when Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were murdered by right-wing Freikorps soldiers hired by the SPD-led government.
Philipp Scheidemann became a hated figure among monarchists, the far right, and finally the Nazis. Attempts to kill him happened, for instance when attackers sprinkled his face with hydrogen cyanide while he was giong for a walk in Park Wilhelmshöhe in his home town of Kassel, but his beard prevented the poison from dripping into his mouth. He went into exile to Denmark after Hitler came to power, where he died in 1939.
