Now followed three tnonths of critical ex istence for the existing form of society in cen tral Europe. Germany's Socialism was only skin deep. After it had been three months in power and had progressed far esmough in prac tical politics to begin to make a constitution it became evident that it did. not mean to over throw private ownership nor adopt state con trol of industry, at least so far as the consti tution of the new Germany was concerned. The Socialists lad taught the masses to believe that capitalism was the laasis of their misery and could hardly complain now if the masses turned against them and followed the fervid prelachers of conununistn. Thus came the fe vensla springtime of 1919. Fortuaately Berlin had the first outbrealc, early in March, and suppressed it through the stern measures of Noske, who sent 50,000 soldiers into the city and used cannon freely against the fortified ir places of the rioters. Five hundred rsons were said to have beea killed in the ring that lasted from the 7th to the 14th of ch, or.any of them harmless bystanders. The bit ter nature of this conflict showed the govern ment how to deal with the insurgents, and the soldiers remained true to it. Soldiers usually follow a capable government that knows its own mind. Of the three classes of society, aristocmts, middle class and proletariat, the first supported the government aad some of the third. The second ivas the backbone of the majority in the Coustituent Assembly.
A week after the suppression of this out break a still worse revolt occurred in Hun gary. Count Michael Karolyi, a wealthy Hun garian, was a friend of the Entente and was exiled from Austria-Hungary during the war, taldng refuge in France and the United States. Returning to his country as the World War came to Its end he raised a revolt against the Hapsburgs. The people accepted him as one who stood well with the victors and who was, therefore, able to soften the expected puoish ment They placed him at tint head of their government republican in form, and he formed a cabinet in which the prevailing opinion was moderate Socialism. As an administrator he was not a success and it was soon evident that he could not stave off the dismemberment of Hunginy. On 19 March the Allies ciemanded to be allowed to place troops in the neutral belt set off in the amiistice between Hungary and Rumania, the inhabitants of which were almost entirely Magyars. The demand de stroyed the prestige of Count Karolyi and placed him in despair so that he resigned, pass. mg the government over into the hands of the Socialists. The new cabinet WU moody Mei fident; but among them was Bela. Kun, for merly a secretary of Lenin, who was a com munist and a man of action. He became )(m ister of Foreign Affairs, dominated the situa tion, and formally established a whet gov ernment, announcing that it was in (military' and spiritual unity* with Russian Bolahevista The movement made rapid and by the 2Ath Bolshevism was este in most Hun garian towns.
This revolution had a stimuhtting influence over the German radicals and they boasted that their own countty wonicl follow in the foot steps of Hungary before the end of the year.
Strikes were occurring daily, city after city broke into rioting, now Dresden, now tliasel dorf, now Nuretnberg, and after them, many others. One week news came that all Saxony was on the point of revolt, later came assurance that Brtmswidc was in the hands of the radi cals. It was estimated that one-third of the workers of Germany were communists, and their feeling was being stimulated by many ac tive agents frost) Russia, well supplied with funds by the Bolshevist government there. All this came when the Peace Conference WIIS passing through its darkest days, just at the time when President Wilson threatened to leave Paris if the nations at the peace board did not abate their demands for spoils. More over, the pinch of hunger was at its highest pitch in these early months of the year when the stocks of the preceding scant harvest were lowest. Many a wise man of the day thought it impossible to keep Bolshevism from sweep ing over central Europe from the Danube to the Rhine.
That the tide was stayed was due to the Weimar government under the newly-chosen President, Frederick Ebert. Confident that it had the support of a majority of the working men it did not hesitate to use force to put down the local revolts. Its most notable task of this nature was at Munich, where the em bers of dissatisfaction had burned since the death of Kurt Eisner. He was not a commu nist, but the radicals could point to his assassi nation as an act of perfidy on the part of the capitalistic faction. Early in April Bela Kun arrived in the city from Hungary to plead the cause of the soviets. The next day a new soviet republic was proclaimed by the radicals and it was announced that relations would be established with Russia and Hungary. The Hoffman govertunent moved to Bamberg. To these two. governments in Bavaria was added a third a few days later when the communists in the city tose, droVe out the soviet govern ment and set up a Council of Ten to rule in true revokitionary fashion, a revolutionary tri bunal, according to the newspapers, be.11113 set up to try pencils suspected of opposing the Ten. This MOW! was met by the Weimar goy-. ernment with the announcement that all entry would reduce the commensts and restore the Hoffman government After some delay the troops appeared before the city, led by Noche himself. On 30 April the red army offered to parley, but the only terms offered were uncon ditional surrender. They hesitated, but 2 May Noske forced the batde and took the city with out much resistance, capturing die red leaders, several ef whom were shot summarily. It was reported tbat 5,000 persons were arreeted for complicity in the revolt This course terri fied the communist's leaders in Germany. The government had showed ability and determi nation to enfonte order and comparative quiet began to return to the distressed country.