Eduard Bernstein
Inspired by Eduard Bernstein, Schumacher became a dedicated socialist and in 1918 joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He led ex-servicemen in forming Workers and Soldiers Councils in Berlin during the revolutionary days following the fall of the German Empire but opposed various attempts by Communist groups to seize power. In 1920, the SPD sent him to Stuttgart to edit the party's newspaper there, the "Schwäbische Tagwacht".