Editing Gustav Bauer (section)

===Imperial Germany and revolutionary period===
In 1912, Bauer was elected to the [[Reichstag (German Empire)|Reichstag]] for the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD) in a constituency of [[Breslau (electoral district)|Breslau]] in the Prussian province of [[Province of Silesia|Silesia]]. In October 1918, he became state secretary (similar to a minister) in the Ministry of Labour in the [[Baden cabinet|cabinet]] of [[Max von Baden]],<ref name="DHM"/> a position he remained in throughout the [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|Revolution of 1918/19]]. After Baden resigned on 9 November 1918, Bauer continued to serve under Chancellor [[Friedrich Ebert]] (SPD) and then under the [[Council of the People's Deputies]], also headed by Ebert, which replaced the imperial chancellorship. 

On 12 November the Council issued an appeal "To the German People" that included a number of promises related to labour, notably the introduction of the eight-hour workday and the creation and protection of jobs. In the following weeks, the Council issued decrees regulating the hiring, dismissal and pay of industrial workers, including war invalids and demobilised military personnel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rat der Volksbeauftragten, Aufruf "An das deutsche Volk", 12. November 1918 |trans-title=Council of the People's Duputies, Appeal to the German People, 12 November 1918 |url=https://www.1000dokumente.de/index.html?c=dokument_de&dokument=0238_rev&object=context&st=&l=de |access-date=28 March 2024 |website=100(0) Schlüsseldokumente zur deutschen Geschichte im 20. Jahrhundert |language=de}}</ref> In the [[Stinnes–Legien Agreement]] of 15 November, industry agreed to introduce the eight-hour workday, guarantee demobilised workers the right to their pre-war jobs and recognise trade unions as the sole representatives of the workers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scriba |first=Arnulf |date=10 May 2011 |title=Das Stinnes-Legien-Abkommen |url=https://www.dhm.de/lemo/kapitel/weimarer-republik/industrie-und-wirtschaft/stinnes-legien-abkommen-1918.html |access-date=28 March 2024 |website=Deutsches Historisches Museum}}</ref>