under the leadership of liebknecht and luxemburg, the kpd was committed to a revolution in germany, and during 1919 and 1920 attempts to seize control of the government continued. germany's social democratic government, which had come to power after the fall of the monarchy, was vehemently opposed to the kpd's idea of socialism. with the new regime terrified of a bolshevik revolution in germany, defense minister gustav noske formed a series of anti-communist paramilitary groups, dubbed "freikorps", out of demobilized world war i veterans. during the failed spartacist uprising in berlin of january 1919, liebknecht and luxemburg, who had not initiated the uprising but joined once it had begun, were captured by the freikorps and murdered. the party split a few months later into two factions, the kpd and the communist workers party of germany (kapd).