The Mainz Workers' and Soldiers' Council () was the effective government of

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

from 9 November until the arrival of French troops on 9 December 1918 during the

German Revolution of 1918 German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. Reports of the

Kiel Mutiny The Kiel mutiny () was a revolt by sailors of the German High Seas Fleet against the Seekriegsleitung, maritime military command in Kiel. The mutiny broke out on 3 November 1918 when some of the ships' crews refused to sail out from Wilhelmshav ...

were published in the on Thursday 7 November. The next day 50 armed revolutionary sailors arrived from Kiel and immediately seized control of the railway station. The following day they proceeded to the prison to release the prisoners. The starving population started seizing food, particularly from the military depot. The local

Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany The Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany (German: , MSPD) was the name officially used by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) between April 1917 and September 1922. The name differentiated it from the Independent Social Democratic ...

(MSPD) was concerned that their power would be eroded between the prospects of a conservative counter-revolution and a soviet-style revolution. Under the leadership of

Bernhard Adelung Bernhard Adelung (30 November 1876, Bremen – 24 February 1943, Darmstadt) was social democratic politician and President of the republic in the Peoples State of Hesse from 1928 to 1933. After completing his apprenticeship as a typesetter and a ...

, a local MSPD politician, they convened a private meeting of representatives of the MSPD, the

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s and the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

in the "Schöffenhof" restaurant. There the Mainz Workers' and Soldiers' Council was formed with seven workers and seven soldiers making up their number. Bernhard Adelung was the chairman. On 12 November they sent a delegation to

Ingelheim am Rhein Ingelheim (), officially Ingelheim am Rhein (), is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. The town sprawls along the Rhine's left bank. It has been Mainz-Bingen's district seat since 1996. From the la ...

that urged the inhabitants there to also form a workers' and soldiers' council. They quickly took action to prevent further development of the revolution, and the Kiel sailors were obliged to return to

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. On the steps of the town hall on 10 November in Halleplatz, Adelung declared a

democratic republic A democratic republic is a form of government operating on principles adopted from a republic and a democracy. As a cross between two similar systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democracies. Whil ...

. The following day the terms of the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

were agreed, including the

occupation of the Rhineland The Occupation of the Rhineland placed the region of Germany west of the Rhine river and four bridgeheads to its east under the control of the victorious Allies of World War I from 1December 1918 until 30June 1930. The occupation was imposed a ...

. According to the terms, French troops would arrive in Mainz. Under Adelung's leadership a reformist administration ensured public order until the arrival of French troops on 9 December 1918.

References

{{reflist Early Soviet republics Former socialist republics German Revolution of 1918–1919 1918 in Germany

Workers' and Soldiers' Council A workers' council, also called labour council, is a type of council in a workplace or a locality made up of workers or of temporary and instantly revocable delegates elected by the workers in a locality's workplaces. In such a system of poli ...

Workers' councils