Matthias Erzberger and Financial Reforms

Matthias Erzberger was an influential politician and journalist of the Catholic Centre Party who emerged as a critical leader during the transition from the German Empire to the Weimar Republic. Initially supporting the war effort, Erzberger recognized the changing tide and spearheaded the 1917 Reichstag Peace Resolution advocating a negotiated peace. In November 1918, he famously headed the German armistice delegation and signed the armistice agreement at Compiègne. As Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister, he implemented sweeping tax reforms to modernize Germany's fiscal system. Because of his willingness to accept the Treaty of Versailles, he was relentlessly targeted and assassinated by right-wing terrorists in 1921.

Other languages