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Vorwärts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Industry | Bourgeois media |
| Founded | 1876 |
| Ownership | Social Democratic Party of Germany |
Vorwärts (German: "Forward") is a German newspaper that serves as the newspaper of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) that was originally a socialist newspaper before the SPD itself turned to reformism and opportunism. The newspaper has served as the central organ of the SPD since its founding in 1876 with only two periods of absence when the SPD and the newspaper was banned, first from 1878 to 1891 and again from 1933 to 1948.
History
Vorwärts was founded in 1876 to serve as the newspaper for the newly founded Social Democratic Party, and was edited for many years by party founder Wilhelm Liebknecht.[1] Anti-socialist laws caused the party to be banned in the German Empire from 1879-1891, which caused the paper to be banned as well meaning that the illegal Der Sozialdemokrat paper was used in its place till the ban was lifted in 1891.[2]
Over time as the SPD was taken over by reformism and opportunism the paper also turned in that direction and began supporting imperialism at the behest of the party.[1] As such, the paper was quick to support the counterrevolutionaries during the November Revolution and openly called for the murder of the leaders of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, both former members of the SPD.[3]
Following the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, the SPD was banned in 1933 and likewise Vorwärts was also banned. In 1948, not long after the SPD was allowed to reform due to the defeat of Nazi Germany, the newspaper also reformed as Neuer Vorwärts, until the name was later changed back to Vorwärts in 1954.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 'Vorwärts' (1979).
- ↑ E. A. Volina (1979). The Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 'Social Democratic Party of Germany'.
- ↑ W. Pieck (1979). The Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 'Karl Liebknecht'.