November 1918 insurgency in Alsace–Lorraine
Alsace–Lorraine Council Republic | |||||||||
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| 1918 | |||||||||
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Flag | |||||||||
The Council Republic of Alsace-Lorraine in Germany in 1918 | |||||||||
| Capital | Strasbourg | ||||||||
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| Government | Soviet republic | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Republic proclaimed | 8 November 1918 | ||||||||
• Occupied by France | 22 November | ||||||||
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The revolution in Alsace-Lorraine refers to an insurrectionary movement inspired by communism, marked by the formation of workers’ and soldiers’ councils in several cities of Alsace-Lorraine from 8th to 22nd November 1918. The red flag was thus hoisted atop Strasbourg Cathedral. These events were a result of the end of World War I and the German revolution of 1918–1919.
The councils dissolved themselves in the face of advancing French troops moving towards cities evacuated by the German authorities following the signing of the Armistice. The entry of General Gouraud’s 4th Army into Strasbourg on 22nd November 1918 brought an end to the uprisings in the region, which was then reattached to France. Unlike the revolutions in the Bavarian Soviet Republic, Hungarian Soviet Republic, and Czechoslovakia, this revolutionary episode did not lead to the creation of a genuine council republic.
During its brief existence, the movement facilitated a political transition between the collapse of the German Empire and the establishment of French administration in the departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle.