videoBustour: The November Revolution and the Weimar Republic

On November 9, 1918, Max von Baden announces the Kaiser's abdication. Shortly after, Philipp Scheidemann proclaims the parliamentary republic from the Reichstag, and a little later Karl Liebknecht proclaims the socialist republic from the Berlin Palace. The November Revolution topples the monarchy – Germany's first democracy begins.

Our city bus tour leads to the original sites of the Weimar Republic: the former newspaper district, the Reichstag, Wilhelmstraße, Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, the Admiralspalast, Kurfürstendamm, the Shell-Haus, and Alexanderplatz. At at least one of these locations, an extended stop is planned. On board the bus, we show matching historical film footage on large monitors.

The Republic brings remarkable achievements: women are allowed to vote for the first time, a democratic constitution comes into force, and the press is free. Berlin becomes an art and culture metropolis of international standing, and traditional gender roles begin to shift.

Yet the struggle for this democracy ultimately fails. Opponents and defenders of the Republic remain irreconcilably opposed. Economic crises and political violence wear down the young state. On January 30, 1933, in Wilhelmstraße, Reich President Hindenburg hands over power to the National Socialists.

The tour also shows how the fight for freedom and democracy can sometimes be in vain. The tour is offered by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung) and conducted by the agency Zeitreisen, which developed the videoBustour format.

In German.

Location:
Medienzentrum der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung
Krausenstraße 4
10117 Berlin