On Tuesday 15 November, dr. Gaard Kets gave a presentation on the inclusion of the revolutionary councils and council republics in the history and commemoration of German democracy.
Gaard argued for the inclusion of these experiences in the democratic history of Germany. While acknowledging the many imperfections of the councils and council republics, for example in terms of exclusion of particular societal groups, genders, or classes, the councils did provide a moment of what the Bavarian revolutionary Kurt Eisner called “lebendig tätige Demokratie”. This thorough democratisation of many different parts of society, and the heterogeneity and openness of the institutional arrangements, (re)produced a democratic repertoire that can and should be considered an important part of the democratic history of Germany (and beyond). A full report on the workshop and Gaard’s contribution can be found here.
The workshop was organized by the Gesellschaft zur Erforschung der Demokratie-Geschichte and the project Orte der Demokratiegeschichte (Places of the History of Democracy). More info on the workshop can be found here.
