Überholung
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
The Überholung (Reconditioning) was a period of political repression and mass killings carried out by the socialist revolutionary government after the climax of the August Revolution. It's form continued that of sporadic killings and repression conducted by Red Guards during the final phase of the Revolution. The KOMINSI (the Commissariat for National Security) carried out the repressions of the Überholung, albeit with the assistance of localised militias and the military. Estimates for the total number of people killed during the Überholung for the initial period of repression are at least 11,000. Estimates for the total number of victims of Socialist Workers repression vary widely. One source asserts that the total number of victims of repression and pacification campaigns could be 450,000, whereas another gives estimates of 2,000 executions per month from September 1918 to April 1918. The most reliable estimations for the total number of killings put the number at about 100,000, whereas others suggest a figure of 200,000. These numbers are however subject to further debate, over the inclusion of uprisings and rebellions by regions against the new socialist regime, including the Rebellion in Hvornum.
Purpose
On the 5 September 1918, the RANKOM through the Decree of Revolutionary Security (Dekret der Revolutionären Sicherheit) created the Commissariat for National Security (Kommissariat für Nationale Sicherheit), commonly known as the KOMINSI. The task of KOMINSI was to pursue and eliminate any individual who advocated or represented counter-revolutionary activites. The new secret-police made extensive use of already existing militias and death-squads that emerged during the revolution.
On 18 September 1918, RANKOM announced the “Reconditioning” (Überholung) of Liothidian society, to “ease the passage of the Fatherland toward Socialism.” This was the official pursuit of all groups, elements and parties the new regime deemed "counter-revolutionary" or an "obstacle on the path to socialism." This included allies of the Socialist Workers' Party during the revolution, as well as pro-monarchists. While initially the plan involved small numbers of individuals, primarily figures who survived the chaos and violence of the revolution, it would rapidly expand in consequence of events outside the regime's control.