Eugen Ernst

Eugen Oswald Gustav Ernst (20 September 1864 – 31 May 1954) was a German Social Democrat and Socialist politician. His appointment as President of the Police of Berlin in January 1919 prompted the Spartacist uprising in Berlin.

Biography Eugen Ernst was born in Murowana-Goslin, Province of Posen, Prussia (now Murowana Goślina, Poland). His father was a carpenter, he attended school in Werder (Havel), was trained as a typesetter and worked for a book printer until 1892.

Ernst joined the bookprinters union in 1884 and became a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in 1884

In November 1918, Ernst became a member of the workers' and soldiers' council of Greater Berlin. He is either described as Minister of the Interior or Minister without portfolio in the Prussian Council of the People's Deputies under Paul Hirsch.

On 4 January 1919, after the Independent Social Democratic (USPD) members of the Prussian Council of the People's deputies had left the people's council, Ernst was appointed President of the Police of Berlin by the Prussian government. His predecessor, Emil Eichhorn, was the last member of the USPD holding an influential position in Berlin. Eichhorn, who worked for the Russian Telegraph Agency in Berlin, had supported the Volksmarinedivision in the Christmas crisis of December 1918 and was dismissed from his post with the approval of the Central Workers and Soldiers council. Eichhorn however refused to accept his dismissal and kept his office at Berlin's police headquarters. He was supported by armed groups of revolutionaries when Ernst appeared at the Police headquarter at Alexanderplatz. The following day a large protest demonstration against the dismissal of Eichhorn was organized by several left-wing groups, which led to the Spartacist uprising.

In the 1919 German federal election Ernst was elected as a member of the Weimar National Assembly representing the Berlin 3 constituency.

In May 1920 Ernst became President of the Police of Breslau, but was dismissed in September 1920 after local protesters had attacked the French and the Polish consulate in Breslau on 26 August 1920. From 1926 to 1933, he was town councilor in Werder (Havel). Ein Leben für die Arbeiterbewegung, 1946