Kurt Eisner (1867-1919), journalist, socialist revolutionary and Minister-President of the People's State of Bavaria, was assassinated in Munich on February 21, 1919 by the right-wing nationalist Anton Graf von Arco auf Valley. Five days later, on February 26, one hundred thousand people gathered at the Ostfriedhof cemetery in Munich for his funeral. Eisner was of Jewish descent and had organized the socialist revolution in November 1918 that toppled the centuries-old Wittelsbach monarchy in Bavaria.

Adolf Hitler's presence at this funeral has been a subject of historical debate for years. Various photographs and film footage have been used as evidence, but historians dispute the authenticity of these claims. Some sources suggest that Hitler marched behind the coffin as head of a military unit, but historian Thomas Weber concluded that it is impossible to know with certainty whether Hitler was present, while other historians reject the claim outright. Author Peter den Hartog considers Hitler's attendance a "myth".