Hamburg Uprising

Part of Revolutions of 1917–23

Date	October 23–25, 1923
Location	Hamburg, Germany
Result	Uprising crushed, arrests begin.

Belligerents

Communist Party of Germany

Weimar Republic

Casualties and losses

The Hamburg Uprising (German: Hamburger Aufstand) was an insurrection during the Weimar Republic in Germany. It was started on 23 October 1923 by one of the most militant sections of the Hamburg district Communist Party (KPD), the KP Wasserkante. From a military point of view, the attempt was futile and it was over within 24 hours. Rebels stormed 24 police stations, 17 in Hamburg and seven in Schleswig-Holstein Province in Prussia. Over 100 people died during the uprising. The exact details of the uprising, as well as the assessment of its impact, are controversial to this day.

Between 1919 and 1923, the Weimar Republic was in crisis and there were many violent conflicts between left- and right-wing elements. The economic situation of the population was rapidly deteriorating and by autumn 1923 hyperinflation was at its peak, which brought gains in popularity to the Communist Party. The Occupation of the Ruhr region further radicalized the political disputes. In August 1923, there was a wave of nationwide strikes against Reichskanzler Wilhelm Cuno. At the end of September, the government declared a state of emergency. On 1 October, the Black Reichswehr attempted the Küstrin Putsch. Two weeks later, on 13 October, the Reichstag adopted an enabling act that was to facilitate a de jure dictatorship by Chancellor Gustav Stresemann. A demonstration of several thousand unemployed stormed the "forbidden zone" around the city hall, an action which, during this period, risked death at the hands of the police and right-wing paramilitaries. In Saxony and Thuringia, coalition governments were formed that included the KPD, which saw this as an opportunity to take over.

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