Chronology

1914

August

4: Outbreak of First World War. German offensive, battle on the frontiers.
27: Two Socialists in French government.

Social-Democratic parliamentary fraction votes for war credits.

4: Meeting of internationalists around Luxemburg

1: Serbian Socialists vote against war credits.

8: Bolshevik deputies vote against war credits.
Manifesto of the Bolshevik CC against the War.

September

Battle of the Marne.

21: Liebknecht states he was wrong to vote for military credits.

6–7: Bolshevik Conference at Berne adopts Lenin’s theses on the War.

October

Beginning of trench warfare.

December

2: Liebknecht alone against military credits in the Reichstag.

1915

January

Bolshevik deputies and leaders sentenced.

February

Fighting in Champagne, on the Yser, in Argonne (February–March)

7: Liebknecht called up.
18: Luxemburg arrested.

Bolshevik Conference at Berne confirms the defeatist line (27 February–4 March)

March

18: Liebknecht and Ruhle vote against war credits

4: First conference of the opposition in Berlin.

26–28: International Socialist Women’s Conference at Berne.

April

14: First issue of Die Internationale.

5–7: Young Socialists’ International Conference at Berne

May

23: Italy enters the war.

27: Liebknecht’s leaflet:
‘The enemy is at home’.

September

Bulgaria enters the war.
Allied offensive in Champagne and Artois.

5–8: International Socialist Conference at Zimmerwald.

December

21: 18 ‘centrist’ deputies against military credits.

1916

January

1: Conference of Die Internationale in Berlin adopts Luxemburg’s theses.

February

Battle of Verdun (February–June)

Publication of the Junius Pamphlet.

5–8: Preparation of the Second Zimmerwald Conference.

April

14–30: International Socialist Conference at Kienthal.

May

1: Workers’ demonstrations for peace

1: Liebknecht in uniform distributes leaflets.

June

27–30: Strikes and demonstrations in support of Liebknecht.

28: Liebknecht sentenced.

July

Allied offensive on the Somme (July–October).

September

21–23: SPD national conference.

1: First Spartacus letter.

October

17–19: Vorwärts seized by army, handed back to SPD Executive.

November

Resumption of the battle of Verdun (November–December).

1917

January

7: SPD opposition conference in Berlin.

18: All oppositionists expelled from SPD.

February

1: Beginning of submarine war.

10–12: February Revolution. Tsarism falls.

March

5: The Spartacist Conference declares in favour of forming a party with the centrists; the ‘left radicals’ are opposed.

April

6: USA enters War. Offensive on the Chemin des Dames; Mutinies in the French Army (April–July).

16–23: Big strikes in Berlin and Leipzig.

6–8: Gotha Congress; formation of USPD.

16: Lenin arrives in Petrograd; April Theses.

May

13: Split in Sweden; Left Socialist Party formed.

July

20–22: Provisional Government suppresses peace demonstrations by Petrograd workers.

August

2: Sailors’ demonstrations.
25: Sailors’ leaders sentenced.

September

5: Kobis and Reichpietsch shot.

October

24: Italian catastrophe at Caporetto.

November

7: Insurrection in Petrograd.
8: Lenin in power.

December

4: German-Russian armistice.
22: Brest-Litovsk peace talks begin.

5–12: Stockholm Conference.

1918

January

Strikes in Austro-Hungary.

28–31: Strikes in Berlin and other working-class centres.

February

Debate on peace in Russian Party.

March

3: Signature of Brest-Litovsk Treaty.

6–8: Seventh congress of RSDLP which becomes Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik)

April

German offensive in the West (March–June).

28: Joffe, Soviet ambassador in Berlin.

May

15: Start of the Civil War.

July

Second battle of the Marne.

August

Allied victory at Montdidier.

September

30: Armistice with Bulgaria.

October

30: Revolution in Vienna; fall of Austro-Hungarian Empire.
31: Armistice with Turkey.

1: German army leaders call for peace.
2: Max von Baden’s government set up with two SPD ministers.
30: Agitation in the navy; demonstration at Stuttgart.

1: Joint conference of Spartacists and left radicals calls for socialist revolution and power to the councils.
21: Liebknecht released.

November

2: Austro-Italian armistice.
11: Rethondes armistice.
12: Proclamation of the Austrian Republic.
16: Proclamation of the Hungarian Republic.

3: Kiel sailors mutiny.
5–9: Revolutionary wave; workers’ and soldiers’ councils set up.
9: Revolution in Berlin; Ebert becomes Chancellor.
10: Ebert and the SPD-USPD cabinet given authority by councils.
16: Agreement between unions and employers.

11: Organisation of Spartacus League with a Zentrale.

3: Foundation of Austrian CP.
5: Foundation of Greek Socialist Workers Party.
Foundation of Hungarian CP.

December

4: Beginning of formation of Free Corps.
6: Council of People’s Commissioners decides to convene National Assembly.
Failed counter-revolutionary putsch in Berlin.
10: Ebert hails the ‘undefeated’ front-line troops.
16–21: Congress of Councils declares for the National Assembly.
23–24: Armed clashes between sailors and soldiers in Berlin.
25: Workers’ demonstrations; Vorwärts building occupied.
29: USPD ministers resign. Appeal to Noske as war minister.

7: Armed Spartakus demonstration in Berlin.
29: USPD ministers resign. Appeal to Noske as War Minister.
30: Congress of German communists, Spartacists and left radicals, attended by Radek.

16: Foundation of Polish CP.

Russian CP sends Radek to Germany.

1919

January

18: Opening of Peace Conference.

4: Removal of Eichhorn.
5: Demonstration in Berlin; buildings occupied.
6–12: Free Corps restore order in Berlin.
15: Murder of Liebknecht and Luxemburg.
26: National Assembly elections.

1: End of KPD(S) Founding Congress.

February

Free Corps begin to cover the country.
11: Ebert elected President; Scheidemann coalition government in office.
Strike in the Ruhr.

12: Radek arrested.

March

21: Proclamation of the Council Republic in Hungary.

1: Free Corps in Halle.
3–8: General strike and repression; ‘bloody week’ in Berlin.
31: Ruhr general strike begins.

2–6: Special USPD Congress in Berlin.
3: Ban on Die Rote Fahne.
10: Arrest and murder of Jogiches; Paul Levi takes leadership of KPD(S).

2–6: International Socialist Conference which proclaims itself First Congress of Communist International.
Bulgarian Social-Democratic Party (Narrows) affiliates to CI.

April

Mutinies in the French Black Sea fleet.
28: Founding pact of League of Nations.

7: First Council Republic in Bavaria.
8–14: Second Congress of Councils in Berlin.
13: Second Council Republic in Bavaria, led by Communists.

8: Zentrale takes refuge in Leipzig.

10: Foundation of Dutch CP.

White offensive under Kolchak (April–June).

May

1: General strike in France.
7: Versailles Peace Conference dictates terms to the German delegation.

1: Free Corps take Munich; repression.
11: Free Corps take Leipzig.
28: End of Ruhr general strike.

11: Zentrale leaves Leipzig for Berlin.

Bulgarian Social-Democratic Party becomes CP.

June

28: Versailles Treaty signed.

20: Scheidemann resigns; railway strike begins.
22: National Assembly ratifies acceptance of Versailles Treaty.
Bauer coalition government in office.
30: Tenth Congress of ADGB.

July

3: End of railway strike.

August

1: Liquidation of the Hungarian Council Republic.

16–17: KPD(S) Congress at Frankfurt-am-Main; start of conflict between Levi and ultra-Left.

31: Foundation of Communist Workers’ Party of USA.

September

9–10: USPD Jena Congress.

White offensive against Petrograd (September–October).

October

Left opposition with Dissmann at head of metalworkers’ union.

20–24: KPD(S) Second, ‘Heidelberg’ Congress.
Levi obtains expulsion of ultra-leftists.

November

USPD Congress at Leipzig (30 November–6 December); shift to left.

Establishment of Amsterdam Bureau of CI for Western Europe.

December

5: Radek freed.
12: Die Rote Fahne reappears.

1920

January

10: Birth of League of Nations.

Demonstration outside the Reichstag, shooting leaves 42 dead.

17: Radek leaves.

Conference organised by the leftist Amsterdam Bureau.
Radek becomes Secretary of the CI.

February

25–26: KPD(S) Third Congress at Karlsruhe.

March

13: Kapp Putsch.
14: General strike begins.
17: Kapp flees; Legien calls for government of workers’ parties and unions.
22: End of general strike.
24: Bielefeld agreements.
26: Legien refuses position of Chancellor.
27: Hermann Müller becomes Chancellor.

13: KPD(S) Zentrale refuses to defend government.
23: Declaration of ‘loyal opposition’.

Amsterdam Bureau dissolved.

April

24: Russo-Polish War begins.

3: Reichswehr offensive in the Ruhr.

4–5: Opposition conference in Berlin; KAPD founded.
14–15: KPD(S) Fourth Congress in Berlin.

15: Foundation of Spanish CP.

Lenin publishes Left-Wing Communism.

May

1–29: French railway strike.

23: Foundation of Indonesian CP.

June

6: Reichstag elections; progress made by Right and USPD.
25: Fehrenbach (Centre) government takes office.

July

KPD(S) delegates to CI Congress protest at presence of KAPD representatives.

15: Preparatory conference for founding of RILU (19 July–7 August).
Second CI Congress.
Adoption of 21 Conditions.

August

Red Army at gates of Warsaw.

1: Foundation of British CP.

Radek removed from CI Secretariat for supporting KPD against Russian Party.

September

Metalworkers’ strikes and factory occupations in Northern Italy.

10: Foundation of Turkish CP.

October

12: Russo-Polish peace treaty.

12–17: USPD Congress in Halle accepts 21 Conditions.

13: Foundation of Iranian CP.
Radek in Germany (clandestinely).

November

1–3: KPD(S) Fifth Congress, now KPD (Section of CI).

28: KAPD admitted to CI as ‘sympathising’ party.

14: Destruction of Wrangel’s army. End of Civil War.

December

4–7: Fusion Congress between KPD and left wing of USPD; birth of VKPD; Levi and Däumig Co-Chairman.
24: Levi protests at admission of KAPD to CI as a ‘sympathising party’.

25–30: French Socialist Party Congress at Tours; majority supports affiliation to CI and 21 Conditions.

Start of debate on trade-union question.

1921

January

7: KPD Open Letter to other workers’ organisations.
21: First incident between Radek and Levi.

15: Livorno Congress of Italian SP opens.

21: Italian SP splits; PCI founded.

February

26: Unions formulate ten demands.

22: Levi and Däumig resign; Brandler chairman of VKPD.
Bela Kun in Berlin.

21: Small bureau of CI condemns Open Letter.

Radek in Russia.

March

20: Plebiscite in Upper Silesia.

16–17: Horsing’s offensive in Central Germany.
19: Police enter Mansfeld region.
Fighting in Central Germany; incidents elsewhere.
29: Murder of Sült.
30: End of March Action.

16–17: VKPD CC decides on ‘activation’ of Party, and prepares defensive action against Horsing.
18: VKPD’s call to arms.
21: Hoelz launches urban guerrilla struggle.
VKPD calls general strike.
27: Levi’s letter to Lenin.

2–17: Kronstadt rising.
8–16: Tenth Congress of Bolshevik Party; ban on factions, measures for workers’ democracy, adoption of NEP.
16: Anglo-Russian trade agreement.

April

British miners’ strike (April–June).

8: Theses on March Action and appearance of the theory of the offensive.
12: Levi publishes Unser Weg.
5: Levi expelled from VKPD.

May

Fehrenbach resigns; Wirth takes over.

8: Foundation of Romanian CP.
14–16: Foundation of Czechoslovak CP.

Conflict in the Russian party; Lenin-Trotsky bloc against the ultra-leftists (May–June).

June

Foundation of CGTU, establishing trade-union split in France.

6: Brandler sentenced.

17: Lenin against Kun on the ECCI.
Third CI Congress; turn ‘to the masses’ (23 June–12 July).

July

1: Foundation of Chinese CP.
3: First RILU congress.

August

26: Murder of Erzberger.

3–4: VKPD CC has difficulty in adopting Moscow compromise.
22–26: Second (Seventh) KPD Congress at Jena.; Meyer and Friesland lead Party.

September

Development of Berlin Left; Friesland moves towards Levi (September–October).

October

22: Social Democrats enter Wirth’s government.

ECCI poses problem of workers’ government.

November

25: Beginning of Vorwärts’ revelations on March Action.

16–17: KPD CC adopts slogan of ‘confiscation of real values’.
20: First conference of Levi’s KAG.

December

20: Friesland, removed from his post, appeals to Party members.

4: ECCI declares in favour of the workers’ united front.
8: ECCI supports struggle to the end against KAG.

1922

January

22: Friesland expelled.

Radek’s secret mission to Germany on Russo-German military cooperation.

February

6: Treaty of Washington.

1–7: Railway strike.

22: KAG joins USPD.

First Enlarged ECCI Meeting; adoption of theses on the workers’ united front (24 February–3 March).

March

22: Metalworkers’ strike begins.

Eleventh Congress of Bolshevik Party (27 March–2 April).

April

2–5: Conference of the Three Internationals in Berlin.
10–19: Genoa Conference.
16: Russo-German Rapallo Treaty.

Radek in Germany as representative of Russian CP and CI (April–May).

3: Stalin becomes Party General Secretary.

May

26: Lenin’s first stroke.

June

4: End of metalworkers’ strike.
19–24: ADGB Congress at Leipzig.
24: Murder of Rathenau.
27: Berlin agreements between workers’ organisations.

7–11: Second Enlarged ECCI Meeting.

July

18: Law for defence of the Republic.

8: KPD excluded from united front.

August

Failure of general strike in Italy.

Georgian affair (August–September).

September

24: SPD-USPD reunification.

October

20: Mussolini takes power in Italy.

November

21: Cuno government takes office without Social Democrats (24 November–6 December).
Strikes in the Palatinate.

Fourth CI Congress, approves slogan of the workers’ government, confirms strategy of united front (5 November–5 December).

December

16: Lenin’s second stroke.
25: Lenin dictates Testament.
30: Soviet Constitution adopted.

1923

January

11: Occupation of Ruhr by French and Belgian troops; start of passive resistance. Demonstrations, strikes & sabotage.

Eighth KPD Congress at Leipzig; sharp conflict between the Left and the new leadership, especially Brandler. (28 January–1 February).

Radek visits Germany secretly (January–February).

4: Lenin dictates postscript, recommending removal of Stalin.

March

21: Zeigner socialist government in office in Saxony with Communist support.

26: Violent confrontations between tendencies at Essen regional congress.

6: Lenin breaks with Stalin.
9: Lenin’s third stroke.

April

ECCI obtains agreement between KPD Left and Right in Moscow.

17–25: Twelfth Party Congress; sharp attacks on Stalin.

May

8: Curzon ultimatum to Soviet Union.

26: Execution of Schlageter.

Radek visits Berlin legally.

June

9: Stambulisky’s peasant government overthrown in Bulgaria, Communist Party remains neutral.

12–23: Third Enlarged ECCI meeting; Radek’s Schlageter speech.

July

12: Zentrale’s appeal to Party.
Decision to call anti-fascist demonstration on 29 July.
Demonstration banned in several states.

26: Radek advises Zentrale to cancel demonstration.

Scissors Crisis; social unrest, strikes (July–August).

August

9: General strike against Cuno begins.
11: Cuno resigns.
12: Stresemann government takes office with Social Democrats.

28: Zentrale appoints Military Committee for insurrection.

6: Decision to prepare an insurrection in Bulgaria.

15: Zinoviev draws up theses on German Revolution.
23: Politbureau calls on ECCI to prepare insurrection in Germany.

September

19–28: Bulgarian insurrection crushed.
26: End of passive resistance in Ruhr.

26: Martial law; secession in Bavaria.
27: General Müller’s threats in Saxony.

21: Start of preparatory conference for German insurrection.

October

1: Failed putsch by the Black Reichswehr.
1–6: Stresemann reshuffles cabinet to the right.
10: Brandler, Böttcher, Heckert join Zeigner’s government.
13: Stresemann obtains full powers; workers’ government in Thuringia; Congress of Proletarian Hundreds in Saxony.
16: Böttcher calls for arming of proletariat.
17: General Müller’s ultimatum.
19: Government decides to act against Saxony.
21: Chemnitz conference: left Social Democrats refuse to call for general strike.
23–24: Hamburg insurrection.
29: Dismissal of Zeigner; Reichswehr drives out Saxon ministers.

8: Brandler returns.
20: Final preparations for insurrection by Revkom.
21: Zentrale decides to abandon insurrection.

1: Zinoviev’s telegram advocating Communists enter Zeigner’s government in Saxony.
4: End of preparatory conference.
10–16: Founding Congress of Red Peasant International.
22: Radek in Germany clandestinely.
22: Pyatakov and Radek approve decision to retreat.

8: Trotsky’s letter on Party democracy.
15: Letter of the 46.

November

8–9: Failed putsch in Munich.
30: Marx government takes office, without Social Democrats.

3–4: KPD CC adopts Brandler’s theses.

4: Letter from ECCI to KPD Zentrale.

7: Opening of public debate in Party.

December

8: Trotsky’s letter on the New Course.

1924

January

Constitution of ‘centre’ tendency. Brandler isolated.

11: First meeting of CI Presidium on German question.
19–21: Resolution of CI Presidium on Germany condemning errors of Radek and Brandler.

16–18: Thirteenth Party Conference condemns Opposition, ensures authority of Zinoviev-Kamenev-Stalin Troika.
21: Lenin dies.

February

19: Brandler replaced by Remmele.

Massive and unselective recruitment into Party: ‘Lenin enrolment’.

April

16: German government accepts Dawes Plan.

7–10: Ninth KPD Congress in Frankfurt am Main; the Left takes the leadership.

May

23–31: Thirteenth Party Congress confirms authority of Troika.

June

Fifth CI Congress on theme of struggle against the ‘Right’ and for Bolshevisation (17 June–18 July).

July

Trotsky revives subject of German defeat of 1923 in Lessons of October.

October

Start of campaign against Trotsky.

December

Stalin introduces idea of ‘socialism in one country’.