Germany -- History -- Revolution, 1918; Germany -- Politics and government -- 1918-1933
In the region of these big estates--the land of the Junker
(Mecklenburg, Pomerania and Brandenburg)--the revolution is openly
defied. The agrarians of these regions not long ago had a regular
trial of strength with the present _régime_, and though worsted were
none the worse.
The strength of the German revolution is in labour, its weakness is in
the land.
FOOTNOTES:
[B] To end of 1918.
[C] The advertisement columns of the daily papers, those most
trustworthy of documents, told many a tale of distress. Here is one such
advertisement:--
"Valuable violin--Antonius Stradivarius Cremonentis, authentic, will
exchange for provisions: meat, sugar preferred."
But it's an ill wind that blows nobody good, and if it blows away the
family heirloom it blows off the mortgage on the family property:--
"Summer holidays in peace and plenty. Farmhouse in Harz mountains will
receive family and provide them with farm produce, milk, butter, eggs,
etc., in return for redemption of mortgage of 10,000 marks."
[D] The following percentages of unemployment during and after the war
may be of interest:--
Average
Month. 1908- 1914. 1915. 1916. 1917. 1918.
1913.
Jan. 3.1 4.7 6.5 2.6 1.7 0.9
Feb. 2.8 3.7 5.1 2.8 1.6 0.8
March 2.3 2.8 3.3 2.2 1.3 0.9
April 2.2 2.8 2.9 2.3 1.0 0.8
May 2.3 2.8 2.9 2.5 1.0 0.8
June 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.5 0.9 0.8
July 2.2 2.9 2.7 2.4 0.8 0.7
Aug. 2.2 22.4 2.6 2.2 0.8 0.7
Sept. 2.1 15.7 2.6 2.1 0.8 0.8
Oct. 2.1 10.9 2.5 2.0 0.7 0.7
Nov. 2.2 8.2 2.5 1.7 0.7 1.8
Dec. 3.2 7.2 2.6 1.6 0.9 5.4
[E] To do justice to the German revolution I annex a schedule of
measures passed by the Peoples Commissaries before the Weimar Parliament
met and reaction set in. How far these are being at present enforced I
do not know.
Unemployment provision--regulations of 13th November and 15th January.
The cost is borne one-half by the Reich, one-third by the State and
one-sixth by the locality. The rates must be reduced by April, 1919, to
a maximum of six marks per day. It can be withdrawn on refusal to work
for insufficient reasons.
Employment regulations of 4th and 25th January. Previous employés on
demobilisation must be re-employed and persons employed in their absence
only discharged under certain conditions.
Legislative regulations of labour. An order of 12th November, 1918,
restored to force all sanitary and social regulations and restrictions
suspended during the war.
Labour disputes. Settlement regulated by order of 23rd December, 1918,
which sets up workmen's committees responsible for questions of wages,
etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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