Social Democratic chancellor whose government accepted the Treaty of Versailles under an Allied ultimatum
Born in Darkehmen in the Province of Prussia, he worked as a lawyer’s clerk, co-founded the office employees’ union and was second chairman of the General Commission of Trade Unions from 1908 to 1918. Elected to the Reichstag for the SPD in 1912, he became labour secretary in Max von Baden’s cabinet in October 1918. When Scheidemann resigned in protest at the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, Bauer, until then a vocal critic of the treaty, succeeded him and got it through the National Assembly. His government carried out tax reform and extended social insurance, but was forced out in March 1920 over the negotiations conducted with the Kapp putschists. He was later vice-chancellor and treasury minister, and the Barmat corruption scandal cost him his seat in 1925. He died in Berlin in 1944.
Activities and affiliations
- 1919–1920 Political and party leadership · Germany state institutions
- 1895–1918 Social movements and organizing · Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
- 1912–1928 Legislature and state representation · Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
- 1921–1922 Government and administration · Germany state institutions
Career Timeline
- 1908–1918Second chairman of the General Commission of Trade Unions
- 1912Reichstag deputy (SPD)
- 1918Labour secretary
- 1919–1920Chancellor of Germany
- 1921–1922Vice-chancellor and treasury minister