Robert Emil Eichhorn (9 October 1863 – 26 July 1925) was a German politician, journalist and Chief of the Berlin Police during the 1918–1919 German Revolution. Before his political career, while working as the editor for the Dresden based Sächsischen Arbeiterzeitung, he was also one of Germany's top amateur road cyclists. Eichhorn was born in Röhrsdorf (now part of

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...

) in the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...

in October 1863 and became apprenticed as a glass worker in 1878, becoming active in the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...

(SPD). He became a full-time official in 1893 and was the head of its press office from 1908–17, when he left with others to form the USPD where he played a similar role.Broue, P. (2006) ''The German Revolution 1917-1923'' Chicago: Haymarket pg.965 Eichorn worked for the post-revolutionary

Russian Telegraph Agency Russian Telegraph Agency (, ROSTA) was the state news agency in Soviet Russia between 1918 and 1935. It was the central information organ of the Soviet Union. After the creation of Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union in 1925, it remained the ne ...

in Berlin. On 9 November 1918 he led the occupation of police headquarters in Berlin, the infantry guarding the building surrendering their weapons without a struggle.Broue, P. (2006) ''The German Revolution 1917-1923'' Chicago: Haymarket pg.148 Inside the building Eichhorn took over the office of police chief and 600 political prisoners were set free. Amongst his deputies was

Revolutionary Stewards During the First World War (1914–1918), the Revolutionary Stewards (German: ) were shop stewards who were independent from the official unions and freely chosen by workers in various German industries. They rejected the war policies of the ...

activist Anton Grylewicz.Broue, P. (2006) ''The German Revolution 1917-1923'' Chicago: Haymarket pg.768 The attempt to dismiss Eichhorn by the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n cabinet on 4 January 1919 and to replace him with the SPD politician

Eugen Ernst Eugen Oswald Gustav Ernst (20 September 1864 – 31 May 1954) was a German Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democrat and Socialist Unity Party of Germany, Socialist politician. His appointment as President of the Police of Berlin in J ...

provoked mass opposition and a

general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

,Broue, P. (2006) ''The German Revolution 1917-1923'' Chicago: Haymarket pg.239 with Eichhorn declaring the following day in front of a mass demonstration of 200,000, "I got my job from the Revolution, and I shall give it up only to the Revolution."Broue, P. (2006) ''The German Revolution 1917-1923'' Chicago: Haymarket pg.241 The attempt to remove Eichhorn had been preceded by slander in ''

Vorwärts ( ; "Forward") is a newspaper published by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Founded in 1876, it was the central organ of the SPD for many decades. Following the party's Halle Congress (1891), it was published daily as the success ...

'' accusing him of having received Russian gold, possessing stolen foodstuffs and illegally bought arms. On 6 January both the Central Committee of the councils and the Berlin executive approved the decision to remove Eichhorn. Earlier that day his supporters had occupied several buildings, including the ''Vorwärts'' office, in the precursor to the

Spartacist uprising The Spartacist uprising (German: ), also known as the January uprising () or, more rarely, Bloody Week, was an armed uprising that took place in Berlin from 5 to 12 January 1919. It occurred in connection with the German Revolution of 1918� ...

.Broue, P. (2006) ''The German Revolution 1917-1923'' Chicago: Haymarket pg.246 In 1920, Eichhorn joined the KPD when it merged with the USPD left. After

Paul Levi Paul Levi (; 11 March 1883 – 9 February 1930) was a German communist and social democratic political leader. He was the head of the Communist Party of Germany following the assassination of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in 1919. After bein ...

was expelled in 1921, Eichhorn joined the Communist Working Group (KAG) for a short time. However, he remained a member of the KPD and a KPD deputy until he died in Berlin in July 1925.

References

External links

Spartacus Educational page on Eichhorn
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eichhorn, Emil 1863 births 1925 deaths Politicians from Chemnitz Politicians from the Kingdom of Saxony Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Independent Social Democratic Party politicians Communist Party of Germany politicians Communist Working Group (Germany) politicians German police chiefs Members of the 11th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 12th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the Weimar National Assembly Members of the Reichstag 1920–1924 Members of the Reichstag 1924 Members of the Reichstag 1924–1928