Proclamation of the Free State of Bavaria, 7/8 November 1918

During the night of the Revolution Kurt Eisner (1867-1919) wrote a proclamation of the Free State of Bavaria in the Bavarian Parliament, which has been preserved as a handwritten draft. In the morning hours, it was printed in the editorial office of Munich's Neueste Nachrichten, which was occupied by revolutionaries, in a slightly different form and appeared on an additional front page in the morning edition of the newspaper on November 8.

It justified the actions of the revolutionaries and the assumption of power by a provisional Workers’, Peasants’ and Soldiers’ Council. The Wittelsbach dynasty was declared deposed. At the same time, any fears about parallels to the Russian October Revolution were dispelled. Thereby, property and possessions were guaranteed and the officials were to remain in service. Riots and violence were to be prevented by the authority of the new government. In addition, early elections for a Bavarian National Assembly were announced. Above all, however, the Free State of Bavaria was proclaimed, heralding the first republic on Bavarian soil. Eisner's proclamation also appeared in a shortened version on red posters, which were distributed all over the city. In contrast to Eisner's draft and to the Münchner Neueste Nachrichten, there the "Bavarian Republic" was proclaimed, not the "Free State of Bavaria".