The Kaiser Goes is a novel about the end of the First World War and the start of the German revolution in 1918. Its based largely on his own experiences, he was one of the mutinying sailors that started the collapse of the Kaiserreich. As such its very authentic, the events happened largely as they do in the novel and what liberties are taken is mainly in characterisation or clandestine meetings that were never recorded for obvious reasons.
The novels structure handles the growing escalation of tensions and fighting very well, the narrative moves between several groups of actors, Sailors in Kiel, small groups of dissident socialists in Berlin, including Liebknecht, and the Berlin workers. It also spends time with the SPD leadership especially Ebert and Noske, and the German officer corps detailing their plots and backstabbing. And of course the Kaiser's divering and desperate attempts to remain relevant when even the Aristocratic Generals have written him off.
Its a little disjointed but it serves well to show just how spontaneous the revolt was. For example the government has taken steps to limit the spread of the revolt by garrisoning the rail lines that go through ports, this works at the start. Sailors keep getting arrested, but this just means the sailors talk to their guards and convince them to arrest their officers and dismantle the prisons. So now the rail lines are back in the sailors hands and now parts of the army are joining in.
They reach Celle without misadventure. But there a large body of troops is drawn up on the platform. As the train enters the station the soldiers board the train and search the compartments. The parties of sailors scattered throughout the length of the train are immediately surrounded. “Show passes.” “Where have you come from?” “Kiel.” “We’re going to Berlin.” “Get out – you must come along with us.” “Shake a leg – To the OC station.” “That’s no good to us – we’re not getting out.” “We are not taking orders from you. We take our orders from the Soldiers’ Council at Kiel and from nobody else.” The infantryman looks surprised: “Soldiers’ Council, eh? Don’t you let our S.M. hear you mention that – he’d go stark staring mad.” The platform is bristling with rifles. An officer runs down the train. “Step along, there! Step along!” growls an NCO. “Hurry up!”
The wooden enclosure is now too small to contain them. The first plank is loosed, and the rest is easy – the wooden walls simply fall asunder. The soldiers permit themselves to be disarmed. The Sergeant Major, who comes storming up at the sound of the tumult, is placed under arrest; and the officer in charge of the railway station also, a first-lieutenant, who just sits at his table in amazement. The station is now in the hands of the sailors. A little fellow, a boatswain, quick and nimble as a cat, is issuing orders and organizing the revolutionary guard over the station. A machine-gun is mounted. The telephone rings in the guard-room. “GOC Hanover speaking,” growls a voice. “Soldiers’ Council, Celle, speaking,” replies the boatswain. There is a sharp click in the receiver. GOC Hanover has replaced the receiver. The sailors lose no time. They have rifles once more, and a machine-gun, and abundance of ammunition. They form up in column of squads and march off through Celle in close formation, singing as they go out toward the prison beyond the tower. Bonczyk’s only regret is that they have lined up according to size, so that he cannot march at the head of the column with Raumschuh. “It’s just as well we did leave Hamburg, after all,” says he to the fellow beside him. “There is something to do here anyway.”
In another section and one of my favourite passages, the government has decided to let the outer working class districts of Berlin fall to the revolting workers for now. And they're just going to build a defensive line around the centre with loyal Jaeger units. But someone thinks its a good idea to have the SPD explain the situation to the Jaeger troops. Unfortunately the deal between the Generals and the SPD only involves the main leaders, so the speakers selected aren't in on the plot. One of them believes that this was the party was waiting for and so gives them a speech that attacks the Kaiser, the Generals and the war and urges the Jaegers to join the rebellion. It's such a good speech it works and that leads to a domino effect when all the supposedly loyal units defect, because they refused to shoot on their fellow comrades.
He speaks again as he used to speak; he still believes that it is not for a handful of politicians, but for the people in revolt to make the final decision. He tells of the mutiny of the sailors, of the workers in Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, who have already joined the revolution... And none of the soldiers doubts but that this “Revolution” and Social Democracy are one and the same thing. In swift sentences Wels presses to a conclusion: “...under no circumstances then can the present system continue. The revolution is not to betrayed. It is our duty at all costs to prevent civil war. It does not matter to me to which party you belong if you are resolved to see that in the future the people shall decide its own destiny, then put yourselves at the disposal of the Social Democratic Party! “Show your consent by giving three cheers for Peace!” The soldiers, accustomed to respond only to the word of command, still stand rigidly at attention. But others, strangers to the barracks, who have been standing at the gate during the speech, now advance across the square and in scattered groups swarm among the ranks. “Peace!” shouts Wels again; “Peace!” comes back the cry. “Three cheers for Government by the People!” “Hurrah!” join in the Jäger. Wels has won. The soldiers break ranks, surge around the waggon and lift Wels down. The officers, who have listened to it all in silence, retire. A committee of the soldiers announces that the Battalion places itself at the disposal of the Social Democratic Party.
Another interesting part of the novel is the ongoing tension between the SDP and its Trade Union leadership against their own members and supporters. The general strike that brings down Berlin was opposed by both, the SPD leaders elected to the new councils like Noske do everything they can to convince the revolutionaries to back down and compromise. The German Revolution was fundamentally a mass revolt of the German workers, soldiers and sailors. The party of the working class the SDP is fracturing with its main group actively trying to stop the revolution, and the small socialist splinters while enthusiastic are two small to have any real effect, and some of them attempted to replace the SPD or engaging in premature street fighting.
Its a beautiful book full of enthusiasm for building a better world, a world without war, without repression or exploitation, and the defeat of the revolt in life as in the book is a great tragedy.
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