Social Democracy

Question 1

What is Socialism?

Answer 1

equality, public ownership, ensuring majority of people get fairer deal, wealth is redistributed, social programmes, political reform, medical benefits, insurance schemes, pensions

Question 2

Which classes was socialism typically found?

Answer 2

Mostly working class, some middle class

Question 3

Why are People of wealth against socialism?

Answer 3

frightened by socialism
- People who want to move up class, can create reform and take wealth off of the richer members of society
- Can cause revolutions
- Victims of socialism are upper class, wealthy, property owners

Question 4

How can the government push back against socialism?

Answer 4

• Can use force
  
  • Can use anti socialist laws
  • Can give them more things, make them feel valued in society as it is (dissipate revolution) (medical schemes, pension schemes)
    Nationalistic route: proud of country, Kaiser, why would you undermine it?

Question 5

What impact does Mass urbanisation + Industrialisation have on workers?

Answer 5

brings lots of working people to live, work, talk together
- Socialist ideas spread quickly amongst large group
- Share frustrations + what can be better for them

Question 6

What happened in the 1890s regarding Anti Socialist Laws?

Answer 6

Bismarck wanted to make anti socialist laws permenant (1890s)
- Reichstag said no
- Attack on liberties and freedoms, other parties were against (SPD, Liberals)

Question 7

Why is Socialism an exaggurrated threat?

Answer 7

Always divided
- Can’t agree on what’s best going forward + what’s best for the people

Question 8

Who is August Babel?

Answer 8

• Son of Prussian army officer
  
  • Became a socialist after reading work of Ferdinand Lasselle, which popularised ideas of Karl Marx
  • Formed SDAP with Wilhelm Liebknecht, Merged with ADAV in 1875 to create the SDP
  • Chairman of the SDP from 1892 until death in 1913

Question 9

Who is Edward Bernstein?

Answer 9

• Joined SPD in 1872
  
  • Emigrated to Switzerland after the Anti Socialist Law was passed
  • Returned to Germany in 1901. Held revisionist views, best way to obtain socialism in an industrialise country was through trade union activity and parliamentary politics. This brought him into conflict with left-wing of the Social Democrat Party.
  • Elected to the Reichstag (1902-06 and 1912-18) leading the right wing of the SPD

Question 10

Who is Karl Liebknect?

Answer 10

• Son of Wilhelm Liebknecht
  
  • Became member of SPD in 1900, president of Socialist Youth International from 1907-1910
  • Opposed the revisionist views of Bernstein
  • Liebknecht also wrote extensively against militarism, and one of his papers led to him being arrested in 1907, imprisoned for 18 months
    Elected to the Reichstag in 1912, a member of SPD left wing

Question 11

What happened to SPD support in the Reichstag elections of 1890-1912?

Answer 11

Dips in SPD election support, steep uprise towards 1912 (35-110 seats)
BUT High numbers in terms of support- largest socialist movement at the time in Europe

Question 12

Why did SPD support waver in the Reichstag elections between 1890-1912?

Answer 12

• Nationalist fervour
  
  • Prussian 3 tier voting system

Question 13

Who do socialists feel they can align with/relate to?

Answer 13

Workers Feel this on an international level (want socialist help in all countries, feel they have more in common with workers in other countries than Aristocratic Junkers)

Question 14

What happened to Zentrum support in the Reichstag elections of 1890-1912?

Answer 14

Zentrum decrease (106-91)

Question 15

Why did Zentrum support decrease in the Reichstag elections between 1890-1912?

Answer 15

• Industrialisation + urbanisation
  
  • Bond developed between agricultural workers and land owners, more social mobility
  • Now less ties between workers + land owners, more radical ideas occur
  • Deference

Question 16

Which social groups banded together against socialism/SPD?

Answer 16

Landowners + Industrialists

Question 17

Who supported ideas for Anti Socialist laws?

Answer 17

National Liberals demanded in the first place for Anti Socialist Laws

Supported by Conservatives

Question 18

Why was the Kaiser worried about socialism?

Answer 18

worried about socialism after Italian President was assassinated by an anarchist

Question 19

Why did Socialists act with caution and restraint?

Answer 19

split party, some felt they had too much to lose to risk direct confrontation of the power of the state, turning the other cheek and waiting for better days to come

Question 20

What benefits did the actions/demands of trade unions bring?

Answer 20

Working people did gain substantial benefits from social legislation + living standards were slowly rising from continuous activity of trade unions

Question 21

What did Democratic Socialism do?

Answer 21

dampen down feelings of revolution, but feel revolutionary respectability in the interest of party unity. Sought best of both worlds, ended up getting worst of both

Question 22

What was the problem with the left wingers of the SPD/socialists (ie Karl Liebknecht) ?

Answer 22

Easily vulnerable to accusations of left wingers (ie Karl Liebknecht), they were not revolutionaries but used revolutionary incantations + refused to cooperate with bourgeois parties-> alienated progressive elements in the middle classes whose support Socialists couldn’t hope to secure a majority in.

Question 23

What were the actual views of socialist leaders on the authority of Germany?

Answer 23

many socialist leaders had greatest respect for monarchy + made no attempt to force the inevitable movement to a parliamentary government

Question 24

When was the SPD the most powerful party in the Reichstag?

Answer 24

1912

Question 25

What was the socialist movement committed to?

Answer 25

Socialist movement was mostly committed to revisionism (change shouldn’t be sought through the active promotion of a revolution)

Question 26

Who did the Social Democrats form alliance with 1906 onwards and why?

Answer 26

social democrats were willing to make electoral pacts with Liberals to forward desirable social policies, ie financial provisions of the Army Bill of 1913

Question 27

Why are Ruling Classes apprehensive of the Social Democrats?

Answer 27

social democracy which destroyed conservative bloc of parties has electoral success, giving it ability to resist any unpopular government legislation

Question 28

What was the trajectory of the SPD between 1912-18?

Answer 28

1912 election- SPD possessed active left wing, maintained orthodox Marxist line, showed revolutionary potential in 1918

Question 29

To what extent was Social Democracy a threat to Germany at the time?

Answer 29

No, it was exaggerated and Due to the split in the party, (some members seem revolutionary, others feel social benefits can be felt as the country is seemingly heading toward a parliamentary democracy anyways). Therefore waiting for this rather than pushing the power of the state was in the best interest for everyone. - Because of this split, the power of the party lessened and made it weaker as a threat to social democracy, as it was unable to agree on a solid plan to move forward with.