The Freikorps: Germany's Post-WWI Paramilitary Shadow

After World War I, Germany didn't just lose a war—it fractured into violence. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Freikorps, the right-wing paramilitary units that sprang up in 1918-1919. From the Baltic Sea to Berlin, these bands of disillusioned veterans fought against communists, Polish insurgents, and the Weimar Republic itself. We look at key figures like Gustav Noske, who used Freikorps to crush the Spartacist uprising, and the murder of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. The episode traces the Freikorps' role in the Kapp Putsch, their brutal battles in the Baltic states, and how their ideology fed into the Nazi movement. Names like the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, the Baltikum regiments, and the Dolchstoßlegende come into focus. We ask: were these soldiers patriots or mercenaries? And what did their violence mean for Germany's fragile democracy? A story of desperation, betrayal, and the birth of political extremism. #Freikorps #WeimarRepublic #SpartacistUprising #GustavNoske #RosaLuxemburg #KarlLiebknecht #KappPutsch #MarinebrigadeEhrhardt #Baltikum #Dolchstoßlegende #VersaillesTreaty #1919 #GermanHistory #Paramilitary #Weimar #FexingoHistory #History #PostWWI Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo