The earliest agitators for Marxism could be found in the so-called “Bavarian renaissance”, a cultural movement in the newly united Germany. After Bavaria had been incorporated into the militarist Prussian-dominated Germany, many Germans, particularly liberals, intellectuals, and artists, fled south to Munich, which became a heart of artistic and political thought. Not suffering nearly as much repression as Spartan Berlin, the so called “League of Pericles” united freethinkers to postulate how a new, Liberal Germany might be formed. While much hope had been placed upon the incoming Kaiser Heinrich I, the limited reforms he did enact were not nearly as impressive as the ones that were promised. Disillusioned with liberalism, many turned to Marxist agitation, and hoped for a bloodless revolution that would topple the Kaiserreich and establish a new Worker’s Republic. Incredible hope emerged in Bavaria upon the “Fifth Revolution” in France, and many in Munich staged peaceful demonstrations they hoped would help topple the regime. Instead, thousands of Bavarians were conscripted to fight a war against France, and many Marxist thinkers were imprisoned without trial. Bavarian soldiers though were much more versed in revolutionary literature than their compatriots from the rest of Germany , and many (particularly Bavarians) credit the Bavarian soldiers from spreading Marxist ideology to soldiers from the other regions. Upon the “Revolution on the Rhine”, peaceful demonstrations in Munich were once again started, and with the Kaiser’s troops defecting left and right, and French troops assisting the revolutionaries, a new Worker’s Republic could be proclaimed in Bavaria.
Luise Eibner was a prominent socialist thinker, born in Bavaria and moved to France following the Third Revolution. Her education in the socialist parlors of Paris gave her a strong appreciation of democracy, peaceful agitation mixed with opportune violence, and taught her effective political grandstanding and organization skills. It was in Paris where Eibner became famous for her two manifestos, one on the necessity for democracy in Communism, and the other for a Worker’s Communism that still included other aspects of society. Eibner was a part of the marches of the Fourth Revolution, was an aide to her mentor, Nicolas Chambon, who became one of the writers of the new French constitution. With her father’s impending death in Bavaria from sickness, she left France to see him, but found that she could not return back to France due to interference from German authorities. She attempted then to get to France through Italy, but German police had been keeping an eye on her and she was arrested before she could cross into Austria. She was imprisoned for three years, and when she was released she moved to Munich where she became a prominent figure in the literary circles there, and eventually became a major figure in the League of Pericles. When war with France came, Eibner was the first person the authorities imprisoned, and when the revolution came, was one of the first released.
Eibner quickly was able to use her connections with the French and her celebrity status in Communist circles to be declared the Premier of the Bavarian Worker’s Council Republic. While an idealist at heart, she embraces a philosophy of “the ends justifies the means”. She knows that the Ruhr and the Nationalist Socialists have far more soldiers to command and resource to marshall, but Eibner is well aware of the soft power Bavaria possesses. Munich is becoming a center of Communist thought and art that is second only to Paris and is quickly catching up. And her insistence of elections shows helps prove the legitimacy of her government. And, not insignificantly, Eibner through her time in Paris, is familiar with not only the upper echelons of the French Communist Party, but also its middle managers and even some foot soldiers. She realizes she cannot conquer Germany, but if the other two factions cannot conquer her, it’s only a matter of time before the people conquer Eibner’s enemies for her. Do not let her idealism mislead you, for Eibner may be the most dangerous and ruthless politician of all in her desire of utopia.