By: Bella Kephart

The political climate in the Weimar Republic only continues to escalate as tensions grow between the Social Democratic Party and its dissenting parties, including the Industrialist Party and the Centre. Earlier today, President Friedrich Ebert was brutally assassinated when his house was detonated. After an investigation, the assassin was revealed to be multi-millionaire Hugo Stinnes, a member of a dissenting party. “...[The President] was consolidating power in a manner that was not conducive to a democratic government,” Stinnes replied when asked about his motives behind the assassination. 

While Stinnes’ sentence was being decided by the committee, the assassination of Eduard Bernstein was reported, another member of the Social Democratic Party. The assassin of Bernstein was quickly revealed to be Gustav Stressman, a dissenter. His reasons were almost identical to Stinnes’: “I saw the SDP becoming more corrupt, so I decided to slowly chip away at it until everyone was dead.” The sentences of both Stinnes and Stressman are still being determined. Stressman denied having any involvement with Ebert’s murder, insisting that he had worked alone. 

The assassinations of Ebert and Bernstein followed an assassination attempt on another party member, Rosa Luxemburg, who survived. The reasons for Luxemburg’s assassination are unclear, rather than an apparent dislike for her party affiliation and values. The violent acts arose out of a directive that was passed earlier in the day granting more power to the chancellor, and the SDP by default. Peace does not seem to be on the horizon for the Weimar Republic, who remains in the midst of electing a new president and dealing with hunger strikes from the German citizens. 

The violence in the Weimar Republic is ironic considering the pacifistic nature of the Marxist Social Democratic Party, who split from a pro-war counterpart during World War I. The SPD generally prefers addressing issues using union empowerment and incremental change rather than resort to violent revolution. The dissenting parties, on the other hand, disagree with a peaceful approach to government; this stark contrast between the parties has given rise to endless strife which has impeded political productivity severely. The International Press Corps wishes them the best in their political endeavors.