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Women in the German Revolution

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The German Revolution and Political Theory

Part of the book series: Marx, Engels, and Marxisms ((MAENMA))

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Abstract

This chapter seeks to explore the multiple roles played by women during the German Revolution of 1918 and 1919. Much of the historical focus published on the revolution to date has concentrated on male protagonists, revolutionary leaders, politicians or military men, and essentially the only woman to have received much historical attention has been Rosa Luxemburg. This paper reassesses women’s role in Berlin, Munich, Brunswick and elsewhere; it considers women’s actions in socialist political parties, on the streets, in demonstrations and as victims of violence. Using memoirs, diaries and contemporary accounts, this paper contextualises women’s revolutionary activity within the political, economic and social upheaval of Germany at the end of the First World War and seeks to give women a more prominent place in the historical narrative of the German Revolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, UK

    Helen L. Boak

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  1. Helen L. Boak
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Correspondence to Helen L. Boak .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Gaard Kets

  2. Department of Politics, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK

    James Muldoon

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Boak, H.L. (2019). Women in the German Revolution. In: Kets, G., Muldoon, J. (eds) The German Revolution and Political Theory. Marx, Engels, and Marxisms. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13917-9_2

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