Germany and accordingly interpreted by conservatives as the "beginning of the revolution". The Committee, with the help of Ebert's oratory, galvanized moderate opponents of the 'war party' and served to pacify the working class. On 9/10 July Bethmann Hollweg obtained a promise from the Crown Council and the Emperor that equal manhood suffrage would be introduced in Prussia after the war to replace the Prussian three-class franchise which apportioned votes based on taxes paid. The promise became known to the public on 12 July. Erzberger's actions during the first half of July helped to bring about the fall of Bethmann Hollweg. He hoped to have him replaced by Bernhard von Bülow. Instead, Georg Michaelis, the largely unknown and party-unaffiliated nominee of Erich Ludendorff, became chancellor. On 19 July Erzberger called a vote on the Reichstag peace resolution which embodied all the points he had made in his speech, calling for a peace without annexations or indemnities, freedom of the seas and international arbitration. The resolution passed 212 to 126. It received the support of Chancellor Michaelis, but when he spoke of supporting it in his inaugural address, he added the proviso "as I interpret it", which he then used as an excuse to ignore it. Erzberger nevertheless succeeded in his main purpose in proposing the resolution, namely to persuade the Social Democrats to continue voting for war loans while a negotiated peace was sought. At the same time, the annexationists, especially those of the nascent German Fatherland Party, began a "wild agitation" against Erzberger. The fact that he succeeded in creating a majority consisting of the Centre, the Progressive Party, and the Social Democrats is considered one of his greatest achievements, since this represented a fundamental upheaval in German domestic politics. Parliament had become involved in matters of foreign policy and warfare that under the constitution were reserved for the emperor, the military leadership and the government. Erzberger emerged from the proceedings surrounding the peace resolution as Germany's most powerful deputy. His attempt to end the war with an amicable peace contributed to his great popularity, especially among the underprivileged classes. On the other hand, he became the most hated man among large sections of the upper classes and in circles that did not want to renounce annexations and rejected demands for a change in Germany's social and political structure. That same July, at a closed conference in Frankfurt, Erzberger