Friedrich Ebert

Friedrich Ebert
Ebert in 1925
President of Germany
In office 11 February 1919 – 28 February 1925
Minister President (1919)	Philipp Scheidemann Gustav Bauer
Chancellor (1919–1925)	Gustav Bauer Hermann Müller Constantin Fehrenbach Joseph Wirth Wilhelm Cuno Gustav Stresemann Wilhelm Marx Hans Luther
Preceded by	Office established (Wilhelm II as Emperor)
Succeeded by	Paul von Hindenburg
Head of government of Germany
De facto 9 November 1918 – 13 February 1919
Preceded by	Max von Baden (as Chancellor)
Succeeded by	Philipp Scheidemann (as Minister President)
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 20 September 1913 – 15 June 1919
Preceded by	August Bebel
Succeeded by	Hermann Müller Otto Wels
Member of the Reichstag for Düsseldorf 2
In office 7 February 1912 – 9 November 1918
Preceded by	Friedrich Linz
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	4 February 1871 Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Died	28 February 1925(1925-02-28) (aged 54) Berlin, Weimar Republic
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Spouse	Louise Rump ​ (m. 1894)​
Children	5, including Friedrich Jr.
Signature
Friedrich Ebert's voice Recorded 21 August 1919

Friedrich Ebert (German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈeːbɐt] ^ⓘ; 4 February 1871 – 28 February 1925) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the first president of Germany from 1919 until his death in office in 1925.

Ebert was elected leader of the SPD on the death in 1913 of August Bebel. In 1914, shortly after he assumed leadership, the party became deeply divided over Ebert's support of war loans to finance the German war effort in World War I. A moderate social democrat, Ebert was in favour of the Burgfrieden, a political policy that sought to suppress discord over domestic issues among political parties in order to concentrate all forces in society on the conclusion of the war effort. He tried to isolate those in the party opposed to war and advocated a split.

Ebert was a pivotal figure in the German Revolution of 1918–1919. When Germany became a republic at the end of World War I, he became its first chancellor. His policies at that time were primarily aimed at restoring order in Germany and suppressing the left. To accomplish these goals, he allied himself with conservative and nationalistic political forces, in particular the leadership of the military under General Wilhelm Groener and the right-wing Freikorps. With their help, the Reich government which Ebert headed crushed a number of communist and anarchist uprisings as well as those from the right, including the Kapp Putsch, a legacy that has made him a controversial historical figure.