Friedrich Ebert: A master of Weimar democracy is celebrated!

Friedrich Ebert: A master of Weimar democracy is celebrated!

Today, June 1, 2025, we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Friedrich Ebert, an outstanding figure in German democratic history. Ebert, the only democratically minded President of the Weimar Republic, had to tread a rocky path and had to overcome hostility from both the left and the right. His life story and political career are recorded in Walter Mühlhausen's revised biography, which was published in 2025 and first saw the light of day in 2006. Mühlhausen held senior positions at the company for almost four decades Reich President Friedrich Ebert Memorial Foundation employed.

Friedrich Ebert was born in Heidelberg in 1871 as the seventh child of a tailor and was initially a saddler before joining the Social Democratic Party in 1889. His political rise began in 1900 when he became a paid official. In 1913 he took over the chairmanship of the SPD and played a crucial role in the revolution of 1918. During this most turbulent time in the country, he was part of the “Council of People's Representatives” and suggested crucial reforms to stabilize the young democracy. Mühlhausen describes Ebert as a “pragmatist and reformist hostile to theory.” However, there were concerns within the SPD that the president would have too much power.

The path to becoming Reich President

From 1919 until his death in 1925, Ebert served as the first Reich President of the Weimar Republic. His presidency was marked by challenges, not least the Treaty of Versailles, which he strategically rejected as “unfulfillable, intolerable and unacceptable” but was nevertheless forced to accept. During his term in office, Ebert issued an impressive 136 emergency regulations in order to be able to react quickly in times of crisis. Nevertheless, he was the target of a slanderous campaign by anti-democratic circles that questioned his integrity.

A particularly painful moment was a trial in Magdeburg that discussed his behavior during a strike and led to a politically defamatory verdict. Even after his death, Ebert was not immune to setbacks: he was only rehabilitated six years after his death, which illustrates the controversies and tensions of his time.

Insights into the biography

The new edition of Mühlhausen's biography appears in time for Ebert's memory and contains a historiographical foreword and new images. With 1064 pages in hardcover and a price of 68.00 euros, it not only represents a comprehensive biography, but also sets new scientific standards based on an in-depth analysis of sources. Mühlhausen illuminates Ebert's successes, achievements, but also his mistakes and misjudgments, while embedding his personality in the context of a crisis-ridden republic. Mühlhausen impressively shows the threats to Weimar democracy and Ebert's tireless efforts to defend it.

Friedrich Ebert's legacy is still felt today. He saw himself as a representative of the entire German people and used his creative opportunities to stabilize the young and fragile democratic structures. His life's work and today's memories of it invite us to reflect on the conditions and challenges of democracy - and show that the efforts to defend democratic values ​​never end.