On This Day
·

Ernst Toller's "Die Wandlung" premieres in Berlin

Ernst Toller (1 December 1893 – 22 May 1939) was a German author, playwright, left-wing politician and revolutionary, known for his Expressionist plays.

Ernst Toller (1 December 1893 – 22 May 1939) was a German author, playwright, left-wing politician and revolutionary, known for his Expressionist plays. He served in 1919 for six days as President of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic, after which he became the head of its army. He was imprisoned for five years for his part in the armed resistance by the Bavarian Soviet Republic to the central government in Berlin. While in prison Toller wrote several plays that gained him international renown. They were performed in London and New York City as well as in Berlin.

In 1933 Toller was exiled from Germany after the Nazis came to power. He did a lecture tour in 1936–1937 in the United States and Canada, settling in California for a while before going to New York.

Historical Significance

Ernst Toller (1 December 1893 – 22 May 1939) was a German author, playwright, left-wing politician and revolutionary, known for his Expressionist plays.

Events Before

  1. Last day of the Julian calendar in Finland; January 2 becomes January 14

    The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception).

  2. Russian Bolshevik Party is renamed the All-Russian Communist Party

    The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party (RSDWP) or the Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDP), was a socialist political party…

  3. Fearing foreign invasion, Vladimir Lenin shifts revolutionary Russia's capital from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to Moscow

    Fearing foreign invasion, Vladimir Lenin shifts revolutionary Russia's capital from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to Moscow

  4. American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923

    American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923

  5. German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur S

    German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur Somme in France. Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown is credited with the kill.

Events After

  1. Isaac Asimov is born

    Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemist, known for american writer and biochemist, was born on 1920-01-02.

  2. Byelorussian Communist Organization is founded as a separate party

    The Byelorussian Communist Organisation was a communist group in Belarus, led by Usievalad Ihnatoŭski.

  3. League of Nations holds its first council meeting in Paris

    The League of Nations (LN or LoN; French: Société des Nations [sɔsjete de nɑsjɔ̃], SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace.

  4. First day of alcohol prohibition comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution

    The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) to the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.

  5. Baseball Hall of Famer "Rube" Foster and seven other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeti

    Baseball Hall of Famer "Rube" Foster and seven other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeting in a Kansas City YMCA

More from the 1910s

birth

Hank Greenberg is born

Hank Greenberg, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1911-01-01.

Belgian mining law introduces a 9.5-hour workday

Belgian mining law introduces a 9.5-hour workday

First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" footrace (7.63 miles/12.3 km); Robert Vlught wins in 44:10

First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" footrace (7.63 miles/12.3 km); Robert Vlught wins in 44:10

The US Post Office begins parcel post delivery

The Bronx General Post Office (also known as the Bronx Central Post Office or Bronx Central Annex) is a historic post office building at 558 Grand Concourse in the South Bronx in New York City, New…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 30, 1919?
Ernst Toller (1 December 1893 – 22 May 1939) was a German author, playwright, left-wing politician and revolutionary, known for his Expressionist plays. He served in 1919 for six days as President of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic, after which he became the head of its army. He was imprisoned for five years for his part in the armed resistance by the Bavarian Soviet Republic to the central government in Berlin.
Why is Ernst Toller's "Die Wandlung" premieres in Berlin significant?
Ernst Toller (1 December 1893 – 22 May 1939) was a German author, playwright, left-wing politician and revolutionary, known for his Expressionist plays.

Explore More

August 30 in HistoryYear 1919