with the cuno resignation on 11 august 1923, the strikes soon ended. workers began returning to work. in addition to pressure from the strikes, on 10 august, the kpd faction in the reichstag had moved to censure the cuno government. the spd, pushed by its base and looking to avert worse social unrest or possibly revolution, saw no other political alternative than to form a grand coalition. rudolf hilferding, in contrast to leftists aligned with paul levi, advocated such a move and urged gustav stresemann to take over the government, resolving the crisis within the framework of the parliamentary system and leaving the kpd unable to turn it into a revolutionary upheaval.