"The Freikorps" -- Weimar Republic As the First World War ended and Germany had been defeated, paramilitary groups emerged. The Freikorps formed from German soldiers returning home from the war. Their beliefs were nationalist, anti Treaty of Versailles and anti-Communist. With the threat of Invasion by the Red Army and communist uprisings in Germany during the German Revolution, the Freikorps provided a militaristic means of putting down Revolution. The Weimar Government itself also used the Freikorps for this purpose. In 1919, Frederick Ebert and the Social Democratic Party called in the Freikorps to put down the Spartacus Uprising. Spartacus were communists who wanted to overthrow the existing Government. 2 of the Communist Party of Germany leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, were murdered while under arrest after the uprising. The criticism of these executions by presumed Freikorps members brought criticisms on Ebert. Two Freikorps members were eventually trialed but given light sentences. The Freikorps were also used to defeat the Bavarian "Soviet Republic", which established in April 1919. 9,000 Reichswehr soldiers and 30,000 members of the Freikorps, were used to defeat the communist fighters. When the Treaty of versailles came into effect on January 10th, 1920, Germany's land forces were to be reduced to just 100,000 men. The Freikorps were therefore expected to be disbanded. Leading some Freikorps commanders to consider a government Coup. A Freikorps unit called the "Ehrhardt Brigade" attempted To overthrow Ebert's Weimar Government in Berlin. Wolfgang Kapp, was put in charge of The Brief Government after Ebert fled. However the coup was quickly ended when the workers loyal to the Weimar Government went on strike, cutting off water, gas, electricity and transportation and therefore paralyzing Berlin. After The Freikorps disbanded, many joined The Nazi Party and became members of the SA, pledging their loyalty to Hitler.