Friedrich Ebert was a polarizing figure in German history. As a major leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and future president of the first German Republic, Ebert had a major influence on policymaking in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As president of the Weimar Republic, Ebert presided over the incredibly difficult years following World War I. Many of his opponents, as well as opponents of the Weimar Republic and the Constitution, criticized the government and its leaders for acquiescing to the harsh and unjust demands of the Versailles government. Treaty. Although he was found guilty of treason against Germany, the opposite was actually true. Friedrich Ebert had an incredible influence on the course of German history, and ideas that he was a traitor to his country and a weak political figure are simply false. Through his leadership in the SPD, his role in the formation of the new government and as president, as well as the challenges he faced in the early years of the Weimar Republic, it is evident how much Ebert is important to German history. Friedrich Ebert's rise to the presidency began with his involvement in the Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (SAPD) in 1889. Established in 1875, the Socialist Workers' Party was the first significant workers' party in Germany. It arose from the industrialization of Germany and the growth of unions that represented the overworked and underpaid working class. At age 18, Friedrich Ebert joined the SAPD at the request of his uncle, although the party was technically banned from existing by the legislature passed by Bismarck in 1878. Between 1881 and 1890, the party became more radical, forced to resort to illegal means to pursue its activities. their objectives. During this period, socialists were still allowed to run...... middle of paper ......BibliographyBerlau, Abraham Joseph. The German Social Democratic Party, 1914-1921. Flight. No. 557. New York: Octagon, 1970. Delmer, Sefton. Weimar Germany: democracy put to the test. New York: Macdonald and Co, 1972. Feuchtwanger, EJ From Weimar to Hitler: Germany, 1918-33. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. Harmer, HJP Friedrich Ebert: Germany. London: Haus Pub, 2008. Livingston, Robert Gerald and American Institute for Contemporary German Studies. West German political parties: CDU, CSU, FDP, SPD, Greens. Flight. 4. Washington, DC: American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Johns Hopkins University, 1986. Schorske, Carl E. German Social Democracy, 1905-1917: The Development of the Great Schism. Flight. 65. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1955. Williamsson, DG Germany since 1815: A Nation Forged and Renewed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.