Ernst Däumig

Däumig was a member of the French Foreign Legion, joining the Social Democratic Party of Germany before the first world war and became a journalist on Vorwärts in 1911.

Däumig, although a supporter of the Russian Revolution, believed that the Bolshevik model of the Soviets was too hierarchical and reliant on party discipline.

Däumig made the main motion at the Reichsrätekongress in December 1918, which replaced the convening of the National Assembly envisaged anchoring the council system in the future state structure; this was rejected by the delegates with a large majority.

On January 5, 1919, at the conference of the political leaders of the Revolutionary Stewards, the USPD and the KPD, Däumig warned against taking up the fight against the Ebert government, as most of those present wanted, because he estimated the chances of success to be very low.

After the USPD split and the left wing joined the KPD, Däumig became co-chairman with Paul Levi, resigning alongside him in 1921 after the events of the March Aktion.