Tens of thousands of germans are expected to march to the memory of the murdered revolutionaries

the Winter of 1919 has gone down in history as one of the most dramatic periods in the history of Germany. The country had just lost the first world war and the old empire fell like a house of cards. On the streets of Berlin was fought outright gatukamper between armed groups on the right and the left who competed for influence over the fragile republic.

In the center stood the radical left's poster child, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, who wanted to remove the military from power and, among other things, to socialize the industry. In november, Liebknecht proclaimed the ”socialist republic” from Berlin slottsbalkong.

Rosa Luxemburg speaks at a meeting in Stuttgart, in 1907. Photo: Rights Managed

the couple were murdered and their bodies thrown into the canal which flows through the north of Berlin. It has now been 100 years since then, the memory of the events alive in the very highest degree, furthermore, in Germany, where the anniversary will get a lot of attention.

On Sunday, expected to tens of thousands of people from different vänstergrupperingar go to the socialist cemetery in east Berlin for the laying of wreaths and memorial service. During the DDR-time, the communist government mass demonstrations to remember the martyrs on the anniversaries, but now people come voluntarily.

Photo: Markus Schreiber/AP

visiting the graves is the jewish author David Fernbach, whose grandfather fought together with Luxemburg and Liebknecht – and was murdered in January 1919.

"I am glad that the German minneskulturen puts such an importance to pay attention to both the Holocaust and the events during the German revolution," he says.

Author David Fernbachs grandfather was killed during the German revolution of 1919. Photo: Lina Lund / DN

is still two centralfigurer for parts of the German left wing and the murders is one reason for the centuries-long hostilities between the German social democrats of the SPD, the left party Die Linke. The murders were carried out by soldiers from a so-called at the end of which were endorsed by the then socialist government, which parts of the German left has never forgiven.

– here It is a division which still persists today, and characterises the political discourse, " says the historian Martin Düspohl as kurerat an exhibition about the two revolutionaries on the Märkisches Museum in Berlin.

the Murders mark a crucial event during the German revolution of 1918-1919 when the country went from being a militaristic kejsarmonarki to a fragile democracy. The shaky years of the Weimar republic led to last until the nazi seizure of power.

In today's political climate that was characterized by an increasingly rougher tone, escalating political violence from both right and left – and where, in recent years Germany was shaken by a series of right-wing demonstrations draws many parallels to the German revolution.

Martin Düspohl do not think today's political climate can be compared with that which prevailed during the German revolution. Photo: Lina Lund / DN

think the comparison is exaggerated.

– It would be to play down the revolution. We do not have a situation where tens of thousands of people arms itself and gives itself out on the streets to fight against their political opponents, " he says.