Revolution in Central Europe 1918-1919 [antikvár]

Preface In the year 1848 central Europe was engulfed by a series of revolutions which, if they had been successful, might have transformed state and society. Seventy years later there was another series of revolutions which, although they were outwardly successful, failed in their principal objective: to bring about a 'democratization' of state and of society. How and why this happened is the subject of this book. There is no doubt in my mind that this course of events was not inevitable, that the revolutions of 1918 could have been far more successful, that 'democratization' was a real possibility. But once more the forces of conservatism and of social inertia prevailed; in the end, parliamentary institutions were destroyed and the limited gains made in 1918 wiped out. Parliamentary democracy in central Europe suffered from weaknesses which marred its birth. I have described some of them in an earlier volume, The Reichswehr and Politics, igi8-ig32. This new book is a further contribution to the subject. I have tried to translate as many German terms as possible into English. In doing so I have used the English word 'council' for the German Rat. The Arbeiter- und Soldatenrat thus becomes a workers' and soldiers' council, and not a Soviet—a term which has quite different connotations. The Münchener Räterepublik becomes the Munich Councils' Republic, and not a Soviet Republic, as it was controlled by Communists only for a very short time. But for Hungary under Béla Kun I have used the term Soviet Republic, for it was largely controlled by the Communists and in constant contact with Moscow. The German USPD {Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands) I have called the Independent Social Democrats, or Independents for short, the German Zentrum the Centre Party, the Austrian Christlichsoziale the Christian Socials (and in general the word sozial is translated as social). My thanks are due to the historians and archivists who have helped me with their advice during years of research in many different archives. To name them all would make a very long list,