Social Democratic Party of Germany
| Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands | |
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| Leader | Franz Müntefering |
| Founded | May 23 1863 (ADAV) August 7 1869 (SDAP) |
| Headquarters | Willy-Brandt-Haus D-10911 Berlin |
| Political Ideology | Social democracy, Democratic socialism, Third Way |
| International Affiliation | Socialist International |
| European Affiliation | Party of European Socialists |
| European Parliament Group | PES |
| Colours | Red |
| Website | http://www.spd.de |
| See also | Politics of Germany Political parties |
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands — SPD) is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions. The party's program, which espoused Marxist principles, called for the nationalisation of major industries and state planning.
Today the SPD advocates the modernization of the economy to meet the demands of globalization, but it also stresses the need to address the social needs of workers and society's disadvantaged.
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Base of support
Social structure
Before World War II, as the main non-revolutionary left-wing party, the Social Democrats fared best among non-Catholic workers as well as intellectuals favoring socially progressive causes and increased economic equality. Led by Kurt Schumacher after the war, the SPD initially opposed both market economics and Konrad Adenauer's drive towards western integration fiercely, but after Schumacher's death, it became more centrist in an effort to appeal to a broader range of potential voters. It is however still connected with the economic causes of unionized employees and lower middle-class voters.
Geographic distribution
Geographically, much of their support nowadays comes from large cities, especially of northern and western Germany. The city cluster of the Ruhr Area, where coal mining and steel production were once mainstays, have in the past provided a significant base for the SPD, and in the state of Bremen, made up of the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven, they have governed without interruption or much of a challenge since 1945. In far southern Germany, the SPD typically has a hard time competing in all but the largest cities. One Munich constituency is currently, and only by a narrow edge, the only SPD-held district in the entire state of Bavaria. Small town and rural support comes especially from traditionally Protestant areas of northern Germany (with notable exceptions such as Western Pomerania, from where Angela Merkel was handily re-elected in 2005) and a number of university towns. A striking example of the general pattern is the traditionally Catholic Emsland, where the Social Democrats are generally not competitive, whereas the Protestant region of East Frisia directly to the north is one of their strongest constituencies. Further south, the SPD also enjoys solid support in northern Hesse (Hans Eichel was mayor of Kassel, then Hesse's minister president, then finance minister in the Schröder administration, Brigitte Zypries serves as Justice Minister), parts of Palatinate (Kurt Beck was party leader until September 7, 2008), the Saarland (political home of one-time candidate for federal chancellor Oskar Lafontaine, who later defected), and southwestern Baden (Marion Caspers-Merk, Gernot Erler).
History
See also
- Politics of Germany
- List of political parties in Germany
- Bundestag (Federal Assembly of Germany)
- Weimar Republic
- Kurt Nehrling
- Mierscheid Law
Further reading
- Carl E. Schorske, German Social Democracy, 1905–1917: The Development of the Great Schism (Harvard University Press, 1955).
- Vernon L. Lidtke, The Outlawed Party: Social Democracy in Germany, 1878–1890 (Princeton University Press, 1966).
- Abraham J. Berlau The German Social Democratic Party, 1914–1921 (Columbia University Press, 1949).
- Erich Matthias, The Downfall of the Old Social Democratic Party in 1933 pages 51–105 from Republic to Reich The Making of the Nazi Revolution Ten Essays edited by Hajo Holborn, (New York: Pantheon Books, 1972).
External links
- Party official website
- Party official website in English
- Official website of the youth organization, the Jusos
- History of the German social-democratic party from Lassale to Kautsky, by Fractal-Vortex
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