Hermann Müller
(© Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1979-122-28A / o. Ang.)
1876-1931
- Foreign Minister from 1919 to 1920
- Reichskanzler in 1920 and from 1928 to 1930
- Chairman of the SPD and its group in the Reichstag
Before World War I, Hermann Müller was an SPD member promoting the party’s center. Thanks to his extensive knowledge of languages, he served as a kind of “foreign minister”, cultivating connections with other socialist parties. Yet in summer 1914, his attempts to promote mutual understanding failed. He subsequently shifted to the right wing of the SPD. In the November Revolution, he was a member of the Vollzugsrat (executive council) of the workers’ and soldiers’ councils, in which he successfully pushed through the National Assembly elections. After Scheidemann’s cabinet resigned, Müller became Foreign Minister and after the Kapp Putsch, he temporarily served as Reichskanzler. From 1920 to 1928, he headed the SPD’s group within the Reichstag. He subsequently took on the post of Reichskanzler again. Yet he was not able to achieve common ground across the various interests of the Grand Coalition’s parties. Müller died one year after the end of the government.
Wikipedia entry