ABSTRACT
The rise of free corps movements was one of the most striking developments in post-World War I Europe. Paramilitary bands operated in almost every state, victorious as well as defeated, which had participated in the war. Despite differences in size, composition, and political impact, these bands demonstrated a number of striking similarities—a lust for action, a desire for military prestige and comradeship, and a tendency to work with the political right. For many the war did not end in 1918; it simply took new forms and directions.
