l of the extreme
radical group of Socialists known as the Communists. About the end of
March, 1919, Bela Kun, the Foreign Minister of the newly established
Communist Government of Hungary and one of the most active propagandists
of Russian Bolshevism, arrived at Munich to confer with the leaders of
the Bavarian Government. Shortly afterwards, in the early part of
April, a Soviet Republic was proclaimed at Munich.

The socialization of industry began. That part of the press that favored
the new regime was upheld by the Government, which suppressed unfriendly
organs. Members of the Christian Textile Workers' Association were
forced, on pain of being deprived of work, to join the Social-Democratic
Union. Various other measures of "freedom, equality, and justice" were
also bestowed upon the people, and the hope was expressed by the Red
Socialists of Munich that the proclamation of a Bavarian Soviet would
have its effect throughout Germany and result in a world revolution.

Towards the middle of April, 1919, press dispatches stated that the
Munich Communists had elected a council, consisting of five workmen and
five soldiers, with Herr Klatz, a bricklayer, as president; that the
police was disarmed; that eleven hostages were taken from the ranks of
the trade-union leaders; that revolutionary tribunals were established
at Munich, where twenty-eight judges continued, in relays of seven, to
pass sentences day and night, and, finally, that a decree was issued by
the Communist government confiscating all dwellings.

Shortly after these reports reached America, the peasants of Bavaria
rose up against the revolutionary government in Munich and declared an
effective ban on the shipment of food to that city. No attacks were made
upon Munich by the troops of the moderate Hoffman government of Bavaria
which had been ousted by the Communists, for it was feared that the
whole country might thus be plunged into civil war. The only strategic
movement of these troops was to cut off the supplies of food.

Discord soon sprang up among the Soviet leaders themselves, who engaged
in open street fights against each other. Before the end of April, 1919,
the Central Council had been dissolved and the Communist mob had turned
to plundering. Food ration cards were taken away from the bourgeoisie,
and barricades were erected around the city to defend it from Noske's
army, sent to attack it by the Ebert-Scheidemann moderate Socialist
Government of B