The Council of People's Commissioners [1] was a political body, which effectively governed Germany in the period between the outbreak of the November revolution and the installation of the Verfassungsgebende Nationalversammlung (Constituent Assembly) in Weimar. Appointed Reich Chancellor on 9 Nov 1918, Friedrich Ebert found himself unable to form a provisional government without sharing the power with other political groups involved in the revolution. Accordingly, the Council of People's Commissioners was created after the party agreement between the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Independent Social Democrats (USPD) was reached on 10 Nov 1918. Each party delegated three representatives, who took responsibility in various spheres: Friedrich Ebert (SPD; interior, war), Philipp Scheidemann (SPD; finance), Dr. Otto Landsberg (SPD; press, culture), Hugo Haase (USPD; foreign, colonies), Wilhelm Dittmann (USPD; demobilization, transportation, law) and Emil Barth (USPD; social policy). In late hours of 10 Nov 1918, the assembly of the workers' and soldiers' councils of Greater Berlin at the Busch Circus ratified the creation of the Council, and also set up a controlling body - Vollzugsrat der Arbeiter- und Soldatenräte Groß-Berlins (Executive Council of the Workers' and Soldiers' Councils of Greater Berlin). In capacity of provisional government, the Council of People's Commissioners concluded an armistice with the Allied Powers on 11 Nov 1918. Despite the protests of radicals, the Council issued a decree (30 Nov 1918) on elections to the National Constituent Assembly. This decision was supported by the First Reich Congress of Councils (16 Dec 1918 - 21 Dec 1918), which also conferred all executive and legislative power on the Council of People's Commissioners (18 Dec 1918). Protesting against forceful suppression of revolutionary sailors' revolt in Berlin on 23/24 Dec 1918, all three USPD members resigned their offices at a joint meeting of the Zentralrat (Central Council) and the Council of People's Commissioners held from midnight 28/29 Dec 1918 to the early hours of 29 Dec 1918. The rest of people's commissioners also returned their authority to the Central Council, but the latter unanimously confirmed the present membership and included two more SPD politicians - Gustav Noske and Rudolf Wissell at the next meeting on 29 Dec 1918 [2]. In January 1919, USPD, KPD (Communist Party) and other radical groups through its revolutionary committee declared the dismissal of the Council of People's Commissioners and claimed the state authority (6 Jan 1919). In a week their revolt was severely suppressed by governmental troops headed by Noske and with the support of volunteer corps (Freikorps). The National Constituent Assembly met in Weimar on 6 Feb 1919 and received the state authority from the Council of People's Commissioners on 7 Feb 1919. Information source: [3][4][5]