A LITTLE FREIKORPS SONG AND THE BOURGEOIS PERCEPTION OF "CHAOS"

It is commonly said in histories of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) that "chaos" broke out often during these years between Right and Left.  The impression given is that Right and Left were more or less equally vicious, stupid, and even lunatic elements threatening the presumably stable and sensible "middle," which only wanted peace and good order.  Thus, the Communist or Socialist is assumed to be merely the mirror image of the reactionary Freikorps thug or Nazi.  This kind of bourgeois ideological complacency does not endure historical examination and simply must go.

Every political position--Right, Left, or Center--must be prepared to argue its points.  There is no use in assuming as a matter of course that the "center" is best simply because it is the center.  Weasel words like "moderate" are used to imply the self-evident truths of such a stance and the mindless fanaticism of its opponents, but do not bear analysis.  It was not "moderate" to advocate votes for women in the middle of the 19th century, and it was not "moderate" to advocate anti-monarchist democracy at all in the 18th.

The "chaos" in the streets between radical Right and radical Left was bitter indeed, and certainly chaotic in the sense that all violent conflict tends to be so.  But "chaos" in the bourgeois lexicon here usually implies "meaningless": that is, just a bunch of thoughtless lunies beating each other over the head.  But before one easily accepts the standard view that the Weimar Republic was a republic of sensible "moderates" tragically undermined by crackpots from both extremes attacking the middle from both ends, one actually needs to look closely at the radical Left--something this blog shall be doing from time to time--instead of assuming the Left was basically a bunch of Nazis operating under a different name.

By way of conclusion here, a brief Freikorps song to show that it was not only the radical Left these people hated:

     A swastika on our helmets
     and a red, white and black armband,
     The brigade of Captain Ehrhardt,
     We call our little clan.

     Workers, oh Workers,
     How will you get along,
     When the brigade of Captain Ehrhardt
     Stands before you armed and strong.

     The brigade of Captain Ehrhardt
     Can smash anyone that's big,
     So you better watch out--take care,
     All you worker pigs!

                                               Song of the Ehrhardt Freikorps Brigade