This week an uprising was called off in the CSU parliamentary group, again. This only shows that the suffering is not great enough. That was different, as a look at history shows.
Revolution is not the common means of winning a majority in democracy, fortunately, but the language of politics is occasionally belligerent. Just remember that night in Wildbad Kreuth in 2007, when nothing less than a putsch is said to have taken place. Erwin Huber and Günther Beckstein “overthrew” the Prime Minister and CSU leader Edmund Stoiber, with resistance, but at least without physical violence.
The Fürth district administrator at the time, Gabriele Pauli, who had triggered the whole uprising, was given the title of CSU rebel, even if she was the first to be eaten up by her own revolution, to use the appropriate proverb. Huber and Beckstein fared similarly afterwards, although they first botched an election before they were politically assassinated by their own party.
In the face of such risks, a revolution in politics needs to be carefully considered, and so many uprisings remain theoretical. The potential mutineers against Horst Seehofer alone would have resulted in a sizeable squad, but because the leader was missing (Markus Söder, of course, does not give himself away as a king’s murderer for the reasons mentioned), they avoided formation and resorted to sniper tactics for a long time.
This week there was one who openly called for revolt, but hardly anyone followed. It went against CSU parliamentary group leader Thomas Kreuzer, whom many in his own ranks consider to be outdated, but apparently not so outdated that he should be put away directly. So the revolution was called off, the rioter Ernst Weidenbusch dismissed as an individual rebel, and now the silent moaning continues.
If a revolution wants to be successful, the level of suffering must be enormous, and a little discomfort is not enough. This can be proven historically: in 1844, for example, a revolution broke out in Munich and in 1907 in Bamberg there was even a war. And both times the insurgents were as uncompromising as they were successful. However, it is not directly about politics, but about the price of beer. May the Bavarians, hardened by decades of CSU autocracy, also be tolerant in political matters. The fun stops at the beer price. The planned increases were withdrawn after both revolts.