Zwischen Barrikade und Parlament

At the beginning of the 20th century, German social democracy united more than three and a half million members in its two major organizations, the SPD and the Free Trade Union. Numerous political ideas and currents existed within this movement, which often led to controversial discussions: What role should social democracy play in existing society? Should education and upbringing merely improve the knowledge and skills of the individual or not also strengthen the collective self-confidence of the working class? Should one oppose every war, or were there also situations in which one's own country had to be defended? And above all: how exactly was socialism to be achieved? Should capitalism, including class rule and exploitation, be overcome and abolished through revolution or tamed through reforms and participation in government?

During the First World War and in the course of the November Revolution of 1918/19, social democracy split into partly irreconcilable camps. The SPD eventually took the lead in the new parliamentary democracy of the Weimar Republic and also participated in the violent suppression of more radical revolutionary efforts. Until the end of the Republic, it competed with other workers' parties - including the KPD - for the left-wing electorate. We want to look together at the debates and points of contention within the social democratic movement and develop a more precise idea of the historical contexts that determined its thinking and actions.

Rhena Stürmer is a historian. She teaches and researches the history of the labor movement at the University of Leipzig.