The Kingdom of Saxony

King George died on Oct. 15, 1904, and was succeeded by his son as King Frederick Augustus III., under whom the conflict about the constitution continued. The Left demanded a reform of the first chamber, the upper house, which should break the predominance of the agrarians in that house and allow to corn merce, industry and handicrafts a greater influence. This was reinforced in 1917 by the agitation of the extreme Left in the diet for the early conclusion of peace.

The Revolution.--On

Oct. 26, 1918 the cabinet gave place to a more liberal Government under Dr. Heinze. On Nov. 9, 1918, the revolution broke out, on Nov. i o the republic was proclaimed, and King Frederick Augustus abdicated on Nov. 13. A cabinet of commissaries of the people (Volksbeauftragte), composed exclusively of Independent Socialists, first held power, but was succeeded by a Government of Majority Socialists. A new repub lican constitution was adopted on Nov. 1, 1920. The revolutionary agitation remained active in Saxony throughout 1919, 192o and 1921. Max Holz, the most famous guerrilla leader of the Com munists was at last defeated and captured early in 1921. In 1923

the strong revolutionary feeling of the Saxons was shown by the proceedings of the Zeigner ministry which depended upon an alliance of Socialists and Communists. It was expelled from office by the Reich Government who occupied the country with troops and replaced the ministry by a coalition of the German People's Party, Democratic Party and right-wing Socialists.

The chief authority for the early history of Saxony is Widukind, whose Res gestae Saxonicae is printed, together with the works of other chroniclers, in the Monumenta Germanica historica, Scriptores. Collections which may be consulted are: Codex diplomaticus Saxoniae regiae (Leipzig, 1862-79) ; the Archiv fiir die sdchsische Geschichte, edited by K. von Weber (Leipzig, 1862-79) ; the Bibliothek der sach sischen Geschichte and Landeskunde, edited by G. Buchholz (Leipzig, 1903) ; and the Bibliographic der Sachsischen Geschichte (Leipzig, 1918, et sqq., published by the Sdchsische Kommission fur Geschichte). See GERMANY, bibliography.