Friedrich Ebert: A master of Weimar democracy is celebrated!
Friedrich Ebert: A master of Weimar democracy is celebrated!
Heidelberg, Deutschland - On June 1, 2025, we commemorate Friedrich Ebert's 100th anniversary of death, an outstanding figure of the German history of democracy. Ebert, the only democratically minded Reich President of the Weimar Republic, had to take a stony path and had to survive both hostility from left and right. His life story and political career are recorded in the revised biography of Walter Mühlhausen, which was published in 2025 and saw the light of day for the first time in 2006. Mühlhausen was almost four decades in leading functions at
Friedrich Ebert was born in 1871 as a seventh child of a tailor in Heidelberg and was Sattler before joining the Social Democratic Party in 1889. His political climb began in 1900 when he became a personal official. In 1913 he took over the chair of the SPD and played a decisive role in the 1918 revolution. In this most turbulent period of the country, he was part of the "Council of Volks Representatives" and suggested decisive reforms to stabilize young democracy. Mühlhausen describes Ebert as the "theoretical pragmatist and reformists". However, within the SPD there were concerns about an excessive power of the President. from 1919 until his death in 1925 served Ebert as the first Reich President of the Weimar Republic. His presidency was characterized by challenges, not least by the Versailles Treaty, which he strategically rejected as "unfulfilled, unbearable and unacceptable", but still had to accept. During his tenure, Ebert issued impressive 136 emergency regulations in order to be able to react quickly in times of crisis. Nevertheless, he was the goal of a defamatory campaign of democratic circles that questioned its integrity. A particularly painful moment was a process in Magdeburg that discussed his behavior during a strike and led to a politically defamatory judgment. Even after his death, Ebert was not immune to setbacks: It was only six years after his death he was rehabilitated, which illustrates the controversy and tensions of his time. The new edition of Mühlhaus's biography appears on time for memory of Ebert and contains a historiographical foreword and new pictures. With 1064 pages in the hardcover and a price of 68.00 euros, it not only represents a comprehensive biography, but also sets new scientific standards based on a profound source analysis. Mühlhausen illuminates Ebert's success, merits, but also his mistakes and misjudgments, while he embeds his personality in the context of a crisis -shaken republic. Mühlhausen impressively shows the threats of the Weimar democracy and Ebert's tireless efforts to defend it. Friedrich Eberts Erbe can still be felt today. He saw himself as the representative of the entire German people and used his design options to stabilize the young and fragile democratic structures. His life's work and today's memories invite us to think about the conditions and challenges of democracy - and show that the efforts to defend democratic values never end. The way to the Reich President
insights into the biography
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| Ort | Heidelberg, Deutschland |
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