11th February 1919: Friedrich Ebert elected as first President of the German Weimar Republic

The Presidential election unfolded against a backdrop of political upheaval. Germany was grappling with the complex consequences of defeat in the war, the abdication of the Kaiser, and the establishment of a democratic government. Ebert, a moderate socialist, emerged as a central figure in shaping the trajectory of the young republic after being made chancellor in November 1918.

Ebert’s election to the position of President was not without challenges in a country plagued by political unrest and the rise of radical factions. In January 1919 year the Spartacist Uprising, led by the Communists Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, posed a significant threat to the stability of the new government before it was violently crushed by the right-wing Freikorps.

Just a few weeks later the National Constituent Assembly convened in the city of Weimar and, on 11 February, elected Ebert as provisional Reich president. Although committed to democratic principles, the Weimar Republic and its new President faced persistent challenges from both the left and the right amidst the daunting task of guiding Germany through economic turmoil, political polarization, and the drafting of a new constitution.

Ebert’s leadership was not without controversy. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of June, which imposed harsh terms on Germany, stirred popular resentment. Meanwhile he used his wide-ranging emergency powers under Article 48 of the constitution to suppress uprisings that represented the seeds of political instability that eventually led to the republic’s downfall.