Philipp Scheidemann

German head of government (1865-1939)

Philipp Heinrich Scheidemann (26 July 1865 – 29 November 1939) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

In the first quarter of the 20th century he played a leading role in both his party and in the young Weimar Republic.

During the German Revolution of 1918-1919 that broke out after Germany's defeat in World War I, Scheidemann proclaimed a German Republic from a balcony of the Reichstag building.