Social Democratic Party of Germany: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox political party|name=Social Democratic Party of Germany|native_name=Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands|logo=SPD-Logo 2022 (rot).svg|founded=27 May 1875|general_secretary=[[Kevin Kühnert]]|leader1_title=Co-leaders|leader1_name=[[Saskia Esken]]<br>[[Lars Klingbeil]]|merger=[[General German Workers' Association|ADAV]]<br>[[Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany|SDAP]]|newspaper=Vorwärts|student_wing=Juso-Hochschulgruppen|youth_wing=Young Socialists in the SPD|womens_wing=Association of Social Democratic Women|wing1_title=LGBT+ wing|wing1=SPDqueer|political_orientation=[[Social democracy]]<br>[[Imperialism]]}} | {{Infobox political party|name=Social Democratic Party of Germany|native_name=Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands|logo=SPD-Logo 2022 (rot).svg|founded=27 May 1875|general_secretary=[[Kevin Kühnert]]|leader1_title=Co-leaders|leader1_name=[[Saskia Esken]]<br>[[Lars Klingbeil]]|merger=[[General German Workers' Association|ADAV]]<br>[[Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany|SDAP]]|newspaper=Vorwärts|student_wing=Juso-Hochschulgruppen|youth_wing=Young Socialists in the SPD|womens_wing=Association of Social Democratic Women|wing1_title=LGBT+ wing|wing1=SPDqueer|political_orientation=[[Social democracy]]<br>[[Neoliberalism]]<br>[[Imperialism]]}} | ||
The '''Social Democratic Party of Germany''' ('''SPD'''), originally called the '''Socialist Workers' Party of Germany''', is a [[Social democracy|social democratic]] party in [[Federal Republic of Germany|Germany]] that was originally a [[Marxism|Marxist]] party but over time slipped into [[revisionism]] and [[opportunism]] before eventually abandoning Marxism officially. It currently holds the most seats in the [[Bundestag]] as a part of the ruling coalition and is the party of the current German Chancellor, [[Olaf Scholz]]. | The '''Social Democratic Party of Germany''' ('''SPD'''), originally called the '''Socialist Workers' Party of Germany''', is a [[Social democracy|social democratic]] party in [[Federal Republic of Germany|Germany]] that was originally a [[Marxism|Marxist]] party but over time slipped into [[revisionism]] and [[opportunism]] before eventually abandoning Marxism officially. It currently holds the most seats in the [[Bundestag]] as a part of the ruling coalition and is the party of the current German Chancellor, [[Olaf Scholz]]. | ||
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Following Bismarck's unification of Germany a congress was held at Gotha in 1875 at which the SDAP merged with VDAV to form the Socialist Workers' Party of Germany which would be renamed to the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1890. The party program adopted at the congress, the Gotha Program, contained many concessions to the [[Idealism|idealist]] Lassalleans, particularly concerning the [[dictatorship of the proletariat]], which would lead Marx and Engels to criticise the program in their [[Critique of the Gotha Program|''Critique of the Gotha Program'']].<ref name=":0" /> | Following Bismarck's unification of Germany a congress was held at Gotha in 1875 at which the SDAP merged with VDAV to form the Socialist Workers' Party of Germany which would be renamed to the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1890. The party program adopted at the congress, the Gotha Program, contained many concessions to the [[Idealism|idealist]] Lassalleans, particularly concerning the [[dictatorship of the proletariat]], which would lead Marx and Engels to criticise the program in their [[Critique of the Gotha Program|''Critique of the Gotha Program'']].<ref name=":0" /> | ||
=== Modern history === | |||
From 1998 to 2005 the SPD were the ruling party in coalition with the [[Alliance 90/The Greens|Greens]] under Chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]], who passed unpopular [[Neoliberalism|neoliberal]] reforms. Their decline in popularity led to them becoming the junior partner in a coalition with [[Angela Merkel]]'s right wing [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany]] (CDU) and continued its decline. For the next decade the SPD became indistinguishable from the [[Conservatism|conservative]] parties losing different respective sections of voters to [[The Left (Germany)|Die Linke]], the Greens and [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD).<ref name=":1">{{Web citation|author=Loren Balhorn|newspaper=Jacobin|title=The SPD Needs More Than Just New Leaders|date=2019-12-03|url=https://jacobin.com/2019/12/spd-germany-election-social-democratic-party-eskabo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202132046/https://jacobin.com/2019/12/spd-germany-election-social-democratic-party-eskabo|archive-date=2023-12-02}}</ref> | |||
After crashing to just 15% of the vote in the 2019 European Parliament elections, leader [[Andrea Nahles]] resigned and not long after the party made some minor reforms changing from a one-person leader to a two-person leader and allowing election of leaders by the party membership. In the ensuing election the neoliberal Olaf Scholz and [[Klara Geywitz]] ran against social democrats [[Saskia Esken]] and [[Norbert Walter-Borjans]], with the social democrats winning with 53% of the vote.<ref name=":1" /> Although the party made some moves back to social democracy, the party still maintains a strong neoliberal presence with Olaf Scholz becoming Chancellor in 2021 at the head of a coalition with the Greens and the [[Liberalism|liberal]] Free Democratic Party (FDP).<ref>{{Web citation|author=Nes Schwerdtner|newspaper=Jacobin|title=Germany’s New Government Is in Thrall to Neoliberal Hawks|date=12.08.2021-12-08|url=https://jacobin.com/2021/12/elections-spd-fdp-cdu-scholz-lindner-merkel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302232204/https://jacobin.com/2021/12/elections-spd-fdp-cdu-scholz-lindner-merkel|archive-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 15:30, 22 June 2024
Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=logo} | |
| General Secretary | Kevin Kühnert |
| Co-leaders | Saskia Esken Lars Klingbeil |
| Founded | 27 May 1875 |
| Merger of | ADAV SDAP |
| Newspaper | Vorwärts |
| Student wing | Juso-Hochschulgruppen |
| Youth wing | Young Socialists in the SPD |
| Women's wing | Association of Social Democratic Women |
| LGBT+ wing | SPDqueer |
| Political orientation | Social democracy Neoliberalism Imperialism |
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), originally called the Socialist Workers' Party of Germany, is a social democratic party in Germany that was originally a Marxist party but over time slipped into revisionism and opportunism before eventually abandoning Marxism officially. It currently holds the most seats in the Bundestag as a part of the ruling coalition and is the party of the current German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
History
Founding
The SPD originated in a congress in Eisenach occurring in 1869 where the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany (SDAP) was formed from a merger of the Assembly of German Worker Associations (VDAV) and leftists in the General German Workers' Association (ADAV). The SDAP leaders, August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht, sought a counter-weight to the Lassallean ADAV that supported Otto von Bismarck's policy of unifying Germany "from above" relying on Prussian militarism and instead followed the lead of Marx and Engels in struggling for the revolutionary unification of Germany "from below." [1]
Following Bismarck's unification of Germany a congress was held at Gotha in 1875 at which the SDAP merged with VDAV to form the Socialist Workers' Party of Germany which would be renamed to the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1890. The party program adopted at the congress, the Gotha Program, contained many concessions to the idealist Lassalleans, particularly concerning the dictatorship of the proletariat, which would lead Marx and Engels to criticise the program in their Critique of the Gotha Program.[1]
Modern history
From 1998 to 2005 the SPD were the ruling party in coalition with the Greens under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who passed unpopular neoliberal reforms. Their decline in popularity led to them becoming the junior partner in a coalition with Angela Merkel's right wing Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and continued its decline. For the next decade the SPD became indistinguishable from the conservative parties losing different respective sections of voters to Die Linke, the Greens and Alternative for Germany (AfD).[2]
After crashing to just 15% of the vote in the 2019 European Parliament elections, leader Andrea Nahles resigned and not long after the party made some minor reforms changing from a one-person leader to a two-person leader and allowing election of leaders by the party membership. In the ensuing election the neoliberal Olaf Scholz and Klara Geywitz ran against social democrats Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans, with the social democrats winning with 53% of the vote.[2] Although the party made some moves back to social democracy, the party still maintains a strong neoliberal presence with Olaf Scholz becoming Chancellor in 2021 at the head of a coalition with the Greens and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 E. A. Volina (1979). The Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 'Social Democratic Party of Germany'.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Loren Balhorn (2019-12-03). "The SPD Needs More Than Just New Leaders" Jacobin. Archived from the original on 2023-12-02.
- ↑ Nes Schwerdtner (12.08.2021-12-08). "Germany’s New Government Is in Thrall to Neoliberal Hawks" Jacobin. Archived from the original on 2024-03-02.