election

• the election took place on the 19th of January 1919, and was based on proportional representation.
• 212 seats were needed for a majority, but the winning SPD only had 165 seats (37.9% of vote).
• the election was the first time women were allowed to vote, and 90% of them did, meaning there was an extra 20 million voters
• the communist party (KPD) boycotted the 1919 election
• because the SPD did not have a majority, they formed a coalition government with the centre party and the DDP
• Ebert became the first president, receiving 73.1% of the vote, and he appointed Philip Schiedemann as the first chancellor