bedeutete ... qua ... Rechts

[edmont]

Context: German revolution 1918, and Ebert, a Social Democratic Party leader, is very cautious and reluctant about the unfolding revolution.
Problem: I suspect neither of the below two English translations gets the meaning of the red German phrase.
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Von daher wird seine [Ebert's] Empörung über die eigenmächtige Ausrufung der Republik durch seinen Parteigenossen Philipp Scheidemann verständlich, bedeutete sie doch einen Bruch mit der Vergangenheit qua revolutionären Rechts.
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1) Thus his [Ebert's] indignation over his party comrade Philipp Scheidemann’s unauthorized proclamation of the republic is understandable, but the announcement signaled a break with the past, and represented the break as revolutionary justice.

2) Thus his [Ebert's] indignation over his party comrade Philipp Scheidemann’s unauthorized proclamation of the republic is understandable, but the announcement presented a break with the past as revolutionary justice.
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Thanks for any assistance.

[Keswick]

I would not translate this sentence with a 'but' but with an 'as'. What I mean is:

Thus his [Ebert's] indignation over his party comrade Philipp Scheidemann’s unauthorized proclamation of the republic is understandable, as the announcement signaled a break with the past, and represented the break as revolutionary justice. 

Does that make sense?

[edmont]

Keswick, thanks very much, that's a helpful idea.

Question: I guess your suggestion of "as" (meaning "because") is implied in the German sentence?  I don't see it in the sentence explicitly.  On the other hand, "doch" is present, which I interpreted (or misinterpreted?) as "but".

Von daher wird seine [Ebert's] Empörung über die eigenmächtige Ausrufung der Republik durch seinen Parteigenossen Philipp Scheidemann verständlich, bedeutete sie doch einen Bruch mit der Vergangenheit qua revolutionären Rechts.

[Keswick]

Yes, it is implied in the German sentence, so the "bedeutete sie doch" has to be translated as 'as' or as 'because', i.e. Ebert was indignant about Scheidemann's unauthorised proclamation of the republic, because/as this accouncement signaled a break with the past. I assume Ebert would have preferred to be involved in this proclamation as it meant a completely new way of direction for the party after the proclamation had been made. 'but' would not make sense in this sentence. 

I hope this makes any sense at all .

[tiorthan]

ein Bruch mit der Vergangenheit qua revolutionären Rechts = a break with the past via revolutionary law
There is no "presented as revolutionary justice" in there. At the most it's a "justified using revolutionary law".

[edmont]

Keswick, yes, thank you very much, that does make sense.

tiorthan -- thanks very much, that's very helpful.

Is it wrong to translate it as

"a break...justified as revolutionary law"  ?

You translate "qua" as "via." Someone else I know suggested the same translation of "qua". But where can one find that translation? In the dictionaries I have only found "qua" translated thus: "as" or "as being".

[tiorthan]

"Qua" comes in two forms in German as a conjunction or a preposition.
The conjunction means "in the capacity of" and is similar to the English adverb (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/qua?s=t)
In this text, however, it's used as a preposition which the Duden lists as

1. durch, mittels, auf dem Wege über
2. gemäß, entsprechend

[edmont]

Thanks very much! 
(I mistakenly assumed that 'qua', as a Latin word, would have the same meanings in English and German.)