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Friedrich Ebert, the son of a tailor, was born in Heildelberg in 1871. He worked as a saddler and was eventually converted to socialism. Ebert became a journalist and in 1912 was elected as a Social Democratic Party (SDP) member of the Reichstag. The following year Ebert was elected as Chairman of the SDP, the largest party in the Reichstag.

Like most socialist in Germany, Ebert was initially opposed to the idea of Germany going to war. However, once the First World War had started, he called for a defensive, rather than an offensive war. With the formation of the Third Supreme Command, in August, 1916, Ebert's political power was undermined.

For the next two years Ebert continued to call for peace negotiations with the Allies. When Erich von Ludendorff returned power to the Reichstag in September, 1918, Max von Baden invited Ebert to join the German government.

In February 1919, Friedrich Ebert was elected as President of the new German Republic. He selected Philip Scheidemann as Chancellor and although the SDP was the largest party in the Reichstag, Ebert attempted to obtain national unity by appointing ministers from other parties. Threatened by revolution from both political extremes, and having to deal with the severe economic crisis brought about by the harsh terms of the Versailles Treaty, Ebert found running Germany extremely difficult. Friedrich Ebert remained in office until his death in 1925.