Revolutionary Principles and Strategy in the November Revolution: The Case of the USPD

Abstract

This chapter studies the relationship between revolutionary principles and strategy in Germany’s main revolutionary party, the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD), during the febrile early months of the November revolution—early November to late December 1918. One of the major strategic differences within the USPD concerned support for convocation of a national assembly, a policy deemed by some of its members to be incompatible with conciliar power. However, conciliar power turned out to be not only compatible with a national assembly, but in fact to engender it. The chapter argues that this process of delegation of power from councils to parliament was the only feasible revolutionary strategy during the revolution’s early days. This strategy, council Erfurtianism, envisaged a parliamentary republic supported by the councils. It then argues that the USPD Left’s leadership shared a conception of revolutionary principles with the USPD Right, a conception setting them apart from the Bolsheviks.