Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution .
139-440: Within the socialist movement , reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can eventually lead to fundamental changes in a society's political and economic systems . Reformism as a political tendency and hypothesis of social change grew out of opposition to revolutionary socialism , which contends that revolutionary upheaval is a necessary precondition for the structural changes necessary to transform
278-420: A capitalist system into a qualitatively different socialist system . Responding to a pejorative conception of reformism as non- transformational , philosopher André Gorz conceived non-reformist reform in 1987 to prioritize human needs over capitalist needs. As a political doctrine, centre-left reformism is distinguished from centre-right or pragmatic reform, which instead aims to safeguard and permeate
417-532: A Paper Dedicated to the Governments of Great Britain, Austria, Russia, France, Prussia and the United States of America written in 1841, Owen wrote: "The lowest stage of humanity is experienced when the individual must labour for a small pittance of wages from others". American Josiah Warren (1798–1874, regarded as the first American anarchist and first individualist anarchist ), who was one of
556-410: A big tent party of the centre-left. The SPD led the federal government from 1969 to 1982 (under Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt ), 1998 to 2005 (under Gerhard Schröder ) and again since 2021. It served as a junior partner to a CDU/CSU-led government from 1966 to 1969, 2005 to 2009 and from 2013 to 2021. During Scholz's chancellorship, the party has set out principles of a new German defence policy in
695-452: A companion of Muhammad, is credited by some scholars, such as Muhammad Sharqawi and Sami Ayad Hanna, as originating a form of Islamic socialism . He protested against the accumulation of wealth by the ruling class during Uthman 's caliphate and urged the equitable redistribution of wealth . The first Muslim Caliph Abu Bakr introduced a guaranteed minimum standard of income, granting each man, woman and child ten dirhams annually—this
834-480: A socialist community in New Harmony, Indiana in 1825. Advertisements announced the experiment for the cooperative colony , bringing various people to attempt an 8-hour work-day of which Owen was a proponent. The town banned money and other commodities for trade, using "labour tickets" denominated in the number of hours worked. Owen's son, Robert Dale Owen , would say of the failed socialism experiment that
973-597: A 1952 Soviet suggestion for Germans to form a neutral state was ignored by the CDU/CSU–FDP government. After 17 years in opposition, the SPD became the junior partner in a grand coalition with the CDU/CSU which lasted from 1966 to 1969. After the 1969 federal election , the SPD's Willy Brandt became chancellor in a coalition with the liberal Free Democratic Party. His government sought to normalise relations with East Germany and
1112-617: A French Saint-Simonian newspaper founded by Pierre Leroux . There were also currents inspired by dissident Christianity of Christian socialism "often in Britain and then usually coming out of left liberal politics and a romantic anti-industrialism ", which produced theorists such as F.D. Maurice (the British founder of Christian socialism in the mid-19th century), Charles Kingsley (British novelist and socialist, 1860s), and Edward Bellamy (an American utopian socialist influential on
1251-526: A broad working class movement that Marx and Engels chose the term communist for their Communist Manifesto of 1848. Despite this initial preference, the use of the term communism was sparse from the 1860s onward, possibly due to its association with militancy in France and Germany, and instead the terms socialism or social democratic became preferred even by followers of the Marxist tradition. Socialism
1390-446: A communist society entails the absence of differing social classes and thus the end of class warfare. According to Marx and Engels, once a socialist society had been ushered in, the state would begin to "wither away" and humanity would be in control of its own destiny for the first time. Anarchism as a social movement has regularly endured fluctuations in popularity. Its classical period, which scholars demarcate as from 1860 to 1939,
1529-529: A detailed plan to tax property owners to pay for the needs of the poor in his pamphlet Agrarian Justice (1797). Due to their dedication to social equality and democracy, Condorcet and Paine can be seen as the predecessors of social democracy . Charles Hall wrote The Effects of Civilization on the People in European States (1805), denouncing capitalism's effects on the poor of his time. During
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#17327727325541668-894: A discourse of "equal rights". Fourier inspired the founding of the communist community called La Reunion near present-day Dallas, Texas as well as several other communities within the United States, such as the North American Phalanx in New Jersey and Community Place and five others in New York State. Fourierism manifested itself "in the middle of the 19th century (where) literally hundreds of communes (phalansteries) were founded on fourierist principles in France, N. America, Mexico, S. America, Algeria, Yugoslavia, etc ". Progressive Era Repression and persecution Anti-war and civil rights movements Contemporary Robert Owen (1771–1858) advocated
1807-412: A group of intellectual elites that would be used to resolve society's most pressing concerns. In his later 1817 work L'Industrie Saint-Simon envisioned a state that dedicated itself to the solving of all social problems through industrial management. In this new system, production and distribution were to be based on social need, while private property was to be subordinated to the needs of society as
1946-585: A key role in the German Revolution of 1918–1919 . On 9 November 1918, leading SPD member Friedrich Ebert was designated chancellor and fellow Social Democrat Philipp Scheidemann , on his own authority, proclaimed Germany a republic . The government introduced a large number of reforms in the following months, introducing various civil liberties and labor rights . The SPD government, committed to parliamentary liberal democracy , used military force against more radical communist groups, leading to
2085-662: A landmark in socialist theory. The Saint-Simonians rejected communist style proposals for a system that would abolish private property and institute a 'community of goods' which they considered an act of, "reprehensible violence" which violated, "the first of all moral laws". However, according to their address to the French Chamber of Deputies in 1830, Bazard and Enfantin still maintained there should be collective ownership of all," instruments of labor , land , and capital " and that noble privileges and inheritance ought to be abolished so that all hierarchy and reward in society
2224-405: A life without exploitation, suppression and violence, hence in social and human security", the realization of which is emphasized as a "permanent task". Social democracy serves as the "principle of our actions". The party platform of the SPD espouses the goal of democratic socialism, which it envisions as a societal arrangement in which freedom and social justice are paramount. According to
2363-852: A major role in the Spanish Civil War. The CNT was affiliated with the International Workers Association, a federation of anarcho-syndicalist trade unions founded in 1922, with delegates representing two million workers from 15 countries in Europe and Latin America. Federación Anarquista Ibérica. Some anarchists, such as Johann Most , advocated publicising violent acts of retaliation against counter-revolutionaries because "we preach not only action in and for itself, but also action as propaganda." Numerous heads of state were assassinated between 1881 and 1914 by members of
2502-466: A more conventionally socialist direction. In a letter to Marx in 1846, Proudhon wrote: "I myself put the problem in this way: to bring about the return to society, by an economic combination, of the wealth which was withdrawn from society by another economic combination. In other words, through Political Economy to turn the theory of Property against Property in such a way as to engender what you German socialists call community and what I will limit myself for
2641-679: A permanent split between the SPD and the USPD , as well as the Spartacist League which would go on to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and integrate a majority of USPD members as well. The SPD was the largest party during the first 13 years of the new Weimar Republic . It decisively won the 1919 federal election with 37.9 per cent of votes, and Ebert became the first president in February. The position of chancellor
2780-660: A policy of nationalisation of major national assets, anti-imperialism , left-wing populism , and a rejection of the Washington Consensus and the neoliberal paradigm. It was first led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez . Ideas and political traditions that are conceptually related to modern socialism have their origins in antiquity and the Middle Ages. Ancient Egypt had a strong, unified, theocratic state which, along with its temple system employed peasants in massive labor projects and owned key parts of
2919-551: A political, and philosophical theory. In the Manifesto of the Communist Party , written in 1848 just days before the outbreak of the revolutions of 1848, Marx and Engels wrote, "The distinguishing feature of Communism is not the abolition of property generally, but the abolition of bourgeois property". Unlike those Marx described as utopian socialists, Marx determined that "[t]he history of all hitherto existing society
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#17327727325543058-492: A privileged elite. These Enlightenment thinkers usually tempered their aims in relation to government intervention, proposing that government ought to be limited in its control of individuals, a belief typically associated with the contemporaneous laissez-faire economic system. Some thinkers believed differently such as the French writers Jean Meslier , Étienne-Gabriel Morelly , and Abbé de Mably who formulated schemes to solve
3197-604: A reformist one focused on social reform . After Joseph Stalin consolidated power in the Soviet Union, the Comintern launched a campaign against the reformist movement by denouncing them as social fascists . According to The God that Failed by Arthur Koestler , a former member of the Communist Party of Germany , the largest communist party in Western Europe in the interwar period, communists aligned with
3336-408: A socialist system, which they saw as only being achieved by those who produce the wealth in society, the toilers, workers or " proletariat ", gaining common ownership of their workplaces, the means of producing wealth. Marx believed that capitalism could only be overthrown by means of a revolution carried out by the working class: "The proletarian movement is the self-conscious, independent movement of
3475-444: A system which would replace the traditional state with a brotherhood of man that incorporated industry and society into a single centralized organization. In this new society all people would have equal opportunity within a meritocratic order, ignoring traditional class divisions based on nobility and wealth. Saint-Simon, influenced by earlier French thinkers like Condorcet, believed in a materialist interpretation of history, similar to
3614-721: A way to a " socialist society " and was criticized by Karl Marx , who considered the communist revolution a required step. One of the delegates to the SPD congress was Eduard Bernstein , who later expanded on the concept, proposing what he termed " evolutionary socialism ". Bernstein was a leading social democrat in Germany. His " revisionism " was quickly targeted by revolutionary socialists , with Rosa Luxemburg condemning Bernstein's evolutionary socialism in her 1900 essay Social Reform or Revolution? and by orthodox Marxists such as Karl Kautsky , who condemned its theories in his 1909 work Road to Power . While Luxemburg died in
3753-440: A whole. Saint-Simon categorized society into two general classes, the workers, comprising wage laborers, manufacturers, scientists, engineers, scholars, bankers, merchants and anyone else who contributed to production and distribution, and the idlers such as land owners, rentiers, the military, the nobility, and the clergy, who made no material contributions to the economy. Abandoning economic liberalism , he instead propounded
3892-458: Is a social democratic political party in Germany . It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together with Lars Klingbeil , who joined her in December 2021. After Olaf Scholz was elected chancellor in 2021, the SPD became the leading party of the federal government , which the SPD formed with
4031-565: Is associated with the working-class movements of the 19th century and the Spanish Civil War -era struggles against fascism . In 1864 the International Workingmen's Association (sometimes called the "First International") united diverse revolutionary currents including French followers of Proudhon , Blanquists , Philadelphes , English trade unionists, socialists and social democrats . Proudhon's followers,
4170-459: Is based on an individual's merit, capacity, and effort alone. Bazard and Enfantin believed that history could be summed up as the historical changes in the forms of class exploitation and that private ownership of the means of production must be gradually abolished. Because of their emphasis on labor they summed up their socialist program with principle "To each according to his ability and to each ability according to its work." They also introduced
4309-533: Is beginning to show the properties of communism, it will hold the means of production collectively but distributes commodities according to individual contribution . When the socialist state (the dictatorship of the proletariat ) naturally withers away, what will remain is a society in which human beings no longer suffer from alienation and "all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly". Here "society inscribe[s] on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs! " For Marx,
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4448-469: Is considered "the father of the cooperative movement ". The UK government's Factory Act of 1833 attempted to reduce the hours adults and children worked in the textile industry . A fifteen-hour working day was to start at 5.30 a.m. and to cease at 8.30 p.m. Children of nine to thirteen years could work no more than 9 hours, and workers of a younger age were prohibited. There were, however, only four factory inspectors, and factory owners flouted this law. In
4587-431: Is the history of class struggles". While utopian socialists believed it was possible to work within or reform capitalist society, Marx confronted the question of the economic and political power of the capitalist class , expressed in their ownership of the means of producing wealth (factories, banks, commerce – in a word, "Capital"). Marx and Engels formulated theories regarding the practical way of achieving and running
4726-446: Is theft " was published in 1840. Louis Reybaud published Études sur les réformateurs contemporains ou socialistes modernes in 1842 in France. By 1842, socialism "had become the topic of a major academic analysis" by a German scholar, Lorenz von Stein , in his Socialism and Social Movement . Chartism , which flourished from 1838 to 1858, "formed the first organised labour movement in Europe, gathering significant numbers around
4865-471: Is theft" and that socialism was "every aspiration towards the amelioration of society". Proudhon termed himself an anarchist and proposed that free association of individuals should replace the coercive state. Proudhon himself, Benjamin Tucker , and others developed these ideas in a mutualist direction, while Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876), Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921), and others adapted Proudhon's ideas in
5004-457: Is used to oppose such structural changes. The other is based on the assumption that while reforms are not socialist in themselves, they can help rally supporters to the cause of revolution by popularizing the cause of socialism to the working class . The debate on the ability of social democratic reformism to lead to a socialist transformation of society is over a century old. Reformism is criticized for being paradoxical as it seeks to overcome
5143-620: The status quo by preventing fundamental structural changes to it. Leftist reformism posits that an accumulation of reforms can eventually lead to the emergence of entirely different economic and political systems than those of present-day capitalism and bureaucracy . Religious reformism has variously affected (for example) Judaism , Christianity and Islam since time immemorial, sometimes occasioning heresies , sectarian schisms and entirely new denominations . There are two types of reformism. One has no intention of bringing about socialism or fundamental economic change to society and
5282-654: The Anti-Rightist Movement , followed by the disastrous Great Leap Forward . In the UK, Herbert Morrison said that "socialism is what the Labour government does" whereas Aneurin Bevan argued socialism requires that the "main streams of economic activity are brought under public direction", with an economic plan and workers' democracy. Some argued that capitalism had been abolished. Socialist governments established
5421-695: The Communist Party of Germany (KPD). The SPD played a leading role in the German revolution of 1918–1919 and in the foundation of the Weimar Republic . The SPD politician Friedrich Ebert served as the first president of Germany from 1919 to 1925. After the rise of the Nazi Party to power, the SPD was the only party in the Reichstag which voted against the Enabling Act of 1933 ; the SPD
5560-669: The Eastern Bloc , a policy known as Ostpolitik . The party achieved its best ever result of 45.8 per cent in 1972 , one of only three occasions in which it formed the largest Bundestag faction. After Brandt's resignation in 1974, his successor Helmut Schmidt served as chancellor until 1982, when the SPD returned to opposition. During the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany, the East German SPD
5699-706: The Enragés to their enemies, though could not be said to be an actual, cohesive faction. As the Revolution progressed, the Enragés protested against the actions of the revolutionary government, with some forming a radical feminist group known as the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women , and Roux even giving a speech to the National Convention decrying them for their failures. However, during
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5838-533: The French Revolution , the working class sans-culottes had significant influence over the revolutionary government. Popular radical leaders of the sans-culottes, such as Jean-François Varlet , Théophile Leclerc , Pauline Léon , Claire Lacombe and Jacques Roux , advocated for a plethora of policies, such as a " maximum [for necessities]," and "a stringent law against speculators and hoarders." This group of revolutionaries would come to be known as
5977-671: The German Revolution , the reformists soon found themselves contending with the Bolsheviks and their satellite communist parties for the support of intellectuals and the working class . In 1959, the Godesberg Program (signed at a party convention in Bad Godesberg in the West German capital of Bonn ) marked the shift of the SPD from an orthodox Marxist program espousing an end to the capitalist system to
6116-707: The Nazi government while others fled the country. The party-in-exile was called Sopade . After the end of World War II , the re-establishment of the SPD was permitted in the Western occupation zones in 1945. In the Soviet occupation zone , the SPD was forcibly merged with the KPD in 1946 to form the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). The SED was the ruling party of East Germany until 1989. In West Germany ,
6255-540: The Neo-Babouvists . According to Friedrich Engels, by 1847 socialism , such as that of the Owenites and Fourierists, was considered a respectable, middle-class, or bourgeoise movement on the continent of Europe, while communism was considered a less respectable working-class movement associated with organizations such as those led by Wilhelm Weitling and Étienne Cabet . It was on this basis of appealing to
6394-716: The Progressive Alliance and was joined by numerous other parties around the world. Previously, the SPD was a founding member of both the Second International and the Labour and Socialist International . The Social Democratic Party has its origins in the General German Workers' Association , founded in 1863, and the Social Democratic Workers' Party , founded in 1869. The two groups merged in 1875 to create
6533-583: The Reformed Protestant region of East Frisia directly to the north, with its strong traditional streak of anti-Catholicism , is one of their strongest constituencies. Further south, the SPD also enjoys solid support in northern Hesse , parts of Palatinate and the Saarland . The social democrats are weakest in the south-eastern states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia , where the party's percentage of votes dropped to single-digit figures in
6672-519: The Reichstag , except for the one of 1919 which was called the National Assembly and since 1949 the parliament is called Bundestag . Note that changes in borders (1871, 1919, 1920, 1949, 1957 and 1990) varied the number of eligible voters whereas electoral laws also changed the ballot system (only constituencies until 1912, only party lists until 1949 and a mixed system thereafter), the suffrage (women vote since 1919; minimum active voting age
6811-647: The Reign of Terror , the Enragés were suppressed, with Leclerc and Roux being expelled from the Cordeliers Club and the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women being shut down. Afterwards, Leclerc and Léon would retreat into obscurity, Lacombe would return to a career of acting, Varlet would be arrested, and Roux would commit suicide to avoid being sent to the Revolutionary Tribunal. In
6950-517: The Revolutions of 1848 swept Europe, expressing what they termed scientific socialism . In the last third of the 19th century parties dedicated to Democratic socialism arose in Europe, drawing mainly from Marxism . The Australian Labor Party was the first elected socialist party when it formed government in the Colony of Queensland for a week in 1899. In the first half of the 20th century,
7089-661: The Saint-Simonians , continued to spread and develop his teachings, initiating the widespread use of the terms "socialism", "socialize", "socialization", and "socializing the instruments of labor". His followers, led by Amand Bazard and Barthélemy Enfantin , began to trend more towards radicalism than Saint-Simon becoming increasingly critical of private property while demanding the emancipation of women. The Saint-Simonian book Exposition de la doctrine de Saint-Simon , published in two volumes from 1828 to 1830 and featuring condensed speeches by Bazard and Enfantin, proved to be
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#17327727325547228-587: The Second International 's agreement to oppose militarism, the SPD supported the German war effort and adopted a policy, known as Burgfriedenspolitik , of refraining from calling strikes or criticising the government. Internal opposition to the policy grew throughout the war. Anti-war members were expelled in 1916 and 1917, leading to the formation of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD). The SPD played
7367-552: The Socialist Workers' Party of Germany [ de ] (German: Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands ). From 1878 to 1890, the Anti-Socialist Laws banned any group that aimed at spreading socialist principles, but the party still gained support in elections. In 1890, when the ban was lifted, the party adopted its current name. The SPD was the largest Marxist party in Europe and consistently
7506-674: The Soviet Union and the communist parties of the Third International around the world, came to represent socialism in terms of the Soviet model of economic development and the creation of centrally planned economies directed by a state that owns all the means of production , although other trends condemned what they saw as the lack of democracy. The establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, saw socialism introduced. China experienced land redistribution and
7645-524: The White Terror , activists and theorists like François-Noël Babeuf and Philippe Buonarroti spread egalitarian ideas that would later influence the early French labour and socialist movements. The views of Babeuf, Sylvain Maréchal , and Restif de la Bretonne specifically formed the basis for the emerging concepts of revolutionary socialism and modern communism. These social critics criticized
7784-750: The Zeitenwende speech . The SPD holds pro-European stances and is a member of the Party of European Socialists and sits with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament . With 14 MEPs , it is the third largest party in the group. The SPD was a founding member of the Socialist International , but the party left in 2013 after criticising its acceptance of parties they consider to be violating human rights. The SPD subsequently founded
7923-510: The mixed economy with partial nationalisations and social welfare. By 1968, the prolonged Vietnam War gave rise to the New Left , socialists who tended to be critical of the Soviet Union and social democracy . Anarcho-syndicalists and some elements of the New Left and others favoured decentralised collective ownership in the form of cooperatives or workers' councils . In 1989,
8062-690: The mutualists , opposed Marx's state socialism , advocating political abstentionism and small property holdings. The anti-authoritarian sections of the First International were the precursors of the anarcho-syndicalists, seeking to "replace the privilege and authority of the State" with the "free and spontaneous organisation of labour". In 1907, the International Anarchist Congress of Amsterdam gathered delegates from 14 countries, among which important figures of
8201-400: The political centre . After World War II , the SPD was re-formed in West Germany after being banned by the Nazi regime ; in East Germany , it merged with the Communist Party of Germany to form the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany . Under the chairmanship of Kurt Schumacher , the SPD was a socialist party representing the interests of the working class and of trade unions. With
8340-432: The 1840s, and in the 19th century the term socialism came to encompass a wide and diverse range of economic policies and doctrines which could include any view from generic opposition against laissez-faire capitalism to the systematic communism of classical Marxism and anything in between. In general a view could be deemed as socialism or socialistic if it advocated for the government to take action that would benefit
8479-439: The 1959 Godesberg Program, the party evolved from a socialist working-class party to a modern social democratic party working within democratic capitalism . The SPD's Hamburg Programme, adopted in 2007, describes democratic socialism as "the vision of a free and fair society in solidarity", which requires "a structure in economy, state and society guaranteeing civil, political, social and economic basic rights for all people living
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#17327727325548618-502: The 1990s, the left and moderate wings of the party drifted apart, culminating in a secession of a significant number of party members which later joined the socialist party WASG , which later merged into The Left ( Die Linke ). Much of the SPD's current-day support comes from large cities, especially northern and western Germany and Berlin . As of 2019, 10 of the country's 15 biggest cities are led by SPD mayors. The metropolitan Ruhr Area , where coal mining and steel production were once
8757-453: The 2018 and 2019 elections. In 2021, it significantly increased its vote share in the states of the former east. The federal leader is supported by six Deputy Leaders and the party executive . As of 2021, the leaders are Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans . The previous leader was Andrea Nahles , who announced her pending resignation on 2 June 2019. As Germany is a federal republic , each of Germany's states have their own SPD party at
8896-399: The 3rd century BCE Mauryan Empire of India, under the rulership of its first emperor Chandragupta , who was assisted by his economic and political advisor Kautilya , has been described as," a socialized monarchy", "a sort of state socialism", and the world's first welfare state. Under the Mauryan system there was no private ownership of land as all land was owned by the king to whom tribute
9035-422: The CDU/CSU after the 2013 federal election . This arrangement was renewed after the 2017 federal election . SPD narrowly won against the CDU/CSU in the September 2021 federal election , becoming the biggest party in the federal parliament (Bundestag). Social Democrat Olaf Scholz became the new chancellor in December 2021, and formed a coalition government with the Green Party and the Free Democrats. The SPD
9174-429: The Directory and install a radical, proto-socialist republic, which would become known as the Conspiracy of the Equals . This conspiracy spread propaganda and rallied support towards a possible anti-Directory revolution, demanding "the overthrow of the [Council of] Five Hundred and the Directoire [ sic ], [the restoration] of the 1793 Consitution , and ultimately to achieve a general equality." However, this conspiracy
9313-414: The French revolution, as well as from the German philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , and British political economy , particularly that of Adam Smith and David Ricardo . Marx and Engels developed a body of ideas which they called scientific socialism , more commonly called Marxism . Marxism comprised a theory of history ( historical materialism ), a critique of political economy , as well as
9452-501: The Greens and the Free Democratic Party , after the 2021 federal election . The SPD is a member of 11 of the 16 German state governments and is a leading partner in seven of them. The SPD was founded in 1875 from a merger of smaller socialist parties, and grew rapidly after the lifting of Germany's repressive Anti-Socialist Laws in 1890 to become the largest socialist party in Western Europe until 1933. In 1891, it adopted its Marxist -influenced Erfurt Program , though in practice it
9591-445: The Labour Party in 1981 to found the Social Democratic Party , but the central objective of the Gaitskellites was eventually achieved by Tony Blair in his successful attempt to rewrite Clause IV in 1995. The use of the term is distinguished from the gradualism associated with Fabianism (the ideology of the Fabian Society ) which itself should not be seen as being in parallel with the Marxist reformism associated with Bernstein and
9730-438: The Nazi Sturmabteilung . The Nazis overtook the SPD as the largest party in July 1932 and Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933. Of the parties present in the Reichstag during the passage of the Enabling Act of 1933 , the SPD was the only one to vote against; most of the communist deputies had been arrested ahead of the vote. The SPD was banned in June. Many members were subsequently imprisoned and killed by
9869-485: The People's Charter of 1838, which demanded the extension of suffrage to all male adults . Prominent leaders in the movement also called for a more equitable distribution of income and better living conditions for the working classes. The very first trade unions and consumers’ cooperative societies also emerged in the hinterland of the Chartist movement, as a way of bolstering the fight for these demands". The word socialism first appeared on 13 February 1832 in Le Globe ,
10008-517: The SPD as initially the Fabians had explicitly rejected orthodox Marxism. Socialist movement The history of socialism has its origins in the Age of Enlightenment and the 1789 French Revolution , along with the changes that brought, although it has precedents in earlier movements and ideas. The Communist Manifesto was written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1847-48 just before
10147-555: The SPD became one of two major parties, alongside the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) . In the inaugural 1949 federal election , it placed second with 29.2 per cent of votes and led the opposition to the CDU government. In its 1959 Godesberg Program , the party dropped its commitment to Marxism and sought to appeal to middle class voters, becoming a big tent party of the centre-left. Although strongly leftist ,
10286-455: The SPD initially opposed both the social market economy and Konrad Adenauer 's drive towards Western integration fiercely; after Schumacher's death, however, it accepted the social market economy and Germany's position in the Western alliance in order to appeal to a broader range of voters. It still remains associated with the economic causes of unionised employees and working class voters. In
10425-509: The SPD was willing to compromise. Only through its support did the governing CDU/CSU pass a denazification law that its coalition partner the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the far-right German Party voted against. At the same time, the SPD opposed the pro-West integration of West Germany because they believed that made a re-unification of Germany impossible. Austria could have become a sovereign neutral state in 1956, but
10564-646: The Saint-Simonians had," sowed the seeds of all the socialist tendencies." François Marie Charles Fourier (1772–1837) was a French utopian socialist and philosopher. Modern scholars credit Fourier with having originated the word féminisme in 1837. As early as 1808, he had argued in the Theory of the Four Movements that the extension of the liberty of women was the general principle of all social progress, though he disdained any attachment to
10703-545: The Soviet Union continued to consider the SPD to be the real enemy in Germany even after the Nazi Party had gotten into power. The term was applied to elements within the British Labour Party in the 1950s and subsequently on the party's liberal wing. Anthony Crosland wrote The Future of Socialism (1956) as a personal manifesto arguing for a reformulation of the term. For Crosland, the relevance of nationalization , or public ownership , for socialists
10842-417: The Soviet Union saw the end of communism , marked by the Revolutions of 1989 across Eastern Europe , culminating in the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Socialists have adopted the causes of other social movements such as environmentalism , feminism and progressivism . At the turn of the 21st century, Latin America saw a pink tide , which championed socialism of the 21st century ; it included
10981-704: The Spanish Region) in 1881 was the first major anarcho-syndicalist movement; anarchist trade union federations were of special importance in Spain. The most successful was the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labour: CNT), founded in 1910. Before the 1940s, the CNT was the major force in Spanish working class politics, attracting 1.58 million members at one point and playing
11120-579: The anarchist movement, including Errico Malatesta , Pierre Monatte , Luigi Fabbri , Benoît Broutchoux , Emma Goldman , Rudolf Rocker , and Christiaan Cornelissen . Various themes were treated during the Congress, in particular concerning the organisation of the anarchist movement, popular education issues, the general strike or antimilitarism . A central debate concerned the relation between anarchism and syndicalism (or trade unionism ). The Federación Obrera Regional Española (Workers' Federation of
11259-515: The anarchist movement. U.S. president William McKinley 's assassin Leon Czolgosz claimed to have been influenced by anarchist and feminist Emma Goldman. In Europe, harsh reaction followed the revolutions of 1848 , during which ten countries had experienced brief or long-term social upheaval as groups carried out nationalist uprisings. After most of these attempts at systematic change ended in failure, conservative elements took advantage of
11398-584: The best possible use of nature and the government was chiefly concerned with the proper administration of material goods and services. Notably, Saint-Simon never fully condemned or repudiated private property as an institution. In his final work Le Nouveau Christianism in 1825 he outlined his belief that his political theories were based on Christian principles and that his system embodied certain Christian ideals such as love for others and selflessness. After Saint-Simon's death in 1825 his followers, known as
11537-501: The classical social democrats continue to defend classical left-wing policies and the welfare state. The Keynesian left-wing of the SPD claims that in recent years the welfare state has been curtailed through reform programs such as the Agenda 2010, Hartz IV , and the more economic liberal stance of the SPD which were endorsed by centrist social democrats. In reaction to Agenda 2010, an inner-party dissident movement developed, leading to
11676-669: The communal oligarchy of Sparta to Tarentum where the poor could access any property held in common. Another Ancient Greek custom, the leitourgia resulted in the richest members of the community directly financing the state. By the late fifth century BC, more radical concepts of communal ownership became expounded in Greece. Possibly in reply to this, Aristophanes wrote his early 4th-century play, Ecclesiazusae , which parodies communist, egalitarian , and gynocratic concepts that were already familiar in Classical Athens . In
11815-452: The dialectic be accelerated to bring about socialism, he translated many socialist books into Russian so they could be accessible to Russian speakers and financially supported Proudhon's publications. While the use of the term socialism was initially adopted to describe the philosophy of the Saint-Simonians , which advocated the socialized ownership of the means of production, the term was quickly appropriated by working class movements in
11954-515: The divided groups of socialists, anarchists, liberals, and nationalists, to prevent further revolt. The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), also known as the First International, was founded in London in 1864. Victor Le Lubez, a French radical republican living in London, invited Karl Marx to come to London as a representative of German workers. The IWA held a preliminary conference in 1865, and had its first congress at Geneva in 1866. Marx
12093-539: The early 19th century, such as the utopian socialists Henri de Saint-Simon , Charles Fourier , and Robert Owen were revolutionary. Instead these thinkers believed they could convince the governments and ruling classes in England and France to adopt their schemes through persuasion. In 1875, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) adopted a Gotha Program that proposed "every lawful means" on
12232-506: The early to mid-19th century, "there appeared an array of communal and 'utopian' counterculture groups (including the so-called free love movement). William Godwin 's anarchism exerted an ideological influence on some of this, but more so the socialism of Robert Owen and Charles Fourier . In France, socialists thinkers and politicians such as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Louis Blanc continued spreading their egalitarian economic and social doctrines. While earlier socialists had emphasized
12371-407: The economy, such as the granaries which dispensed grain to the public in hard times. This system of government is sometimes referred to as "theocratic socialism", though it is important to distinguish between this ideology and the Marxist theory of socialism. In Ancient Greece , while private property was an acknowledged part of society with the basic element of Greek economic and social life being
12510-586: The excesses of poverty and inequality of the Industrial Revolution , and advocated reforms such as the egalitarian distribution of wealth and the transformation of society into one where private property is abolished and the means of production are owned collectively. Babeuf would eventually lead a conspiracy, along with Maréchal, Buonarroti, Augustin Alexandre Darthé , Jean Antoine Rossignol , and others, that would attempt to overthrow
12649-529: The existing economic system of capitalism while trying to improve the conditions of capitalism, thereby making it appear more tolerable to society. According to Rosa Luxemburg , capitalism is not overthrown, "but is on the contrary strengthened by the development of social reforms". In a similar vein, Stan Parker of the Socialist Party of Great Britain argues that reforms are a diversion of energy for socialists and are limited because they must adhere to
12788-425: The father of modern anarchism, was a libertarian socialist , a theory by which the workers would directly manage the means of production through their own productive associations. There would be "equal means of subsistence, support, education, and opportunity for every child, boy or girl, until maturity, and equal resources and facilities in adulthood to create his own well-being by his own labour." Alexander Herzen
12927-400: The first [manifestations] of a truly active communist party." The first modern socialists were early 19th-century Western European social critics. In this period socialism emerged from a diverse array of doctrines and social experiments associated primarily with British and French thinkers—especially Thomas Spence , Charles Fourier , Saint-Simon , and Robert Owen . Outlining principles for
13066-557: The first phase of communist society, can be viewed as a transitional stage characterised by common or state ownership of the means of production under democratic workers' control and management, which Engels argued was beginning to be realised in the Paris Commune of 1871, before it was overthrown. Socialism to them is simply the transitional phase between capitalism and "higher phase of communist society". Because this society has characteristics of both its capitalist ancestor and
13205-718: The foundation of the new party Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative ( Arbeit & soziale Gerechtigkeit – Die Wahlalternative , WASG) in 2005, which later merged into The Left ( Die Linke ) in 2007. The Parlamentarische Linke comprises left-wing SPD Members of the German Bundestag . Prior to World War II, as the main non-revolutionary left-wing party, the Social Democrats fared best among non- Catholic workers as well as intellectuals favouring social progressive causes and increased economic equality. Led by Kurt Schumacher after World War II,
13344-434: The gradual transformation of society, most notably through the foundation of small, utopian communities, a growing number of socialists became disillusioned with the viability of this approach and instead emphasized direct political action . Early socialists were united in their desire for a society based on cooperation rather than competition. Proudhon's groundbreaking pamphlet "What is Property?" which declared that " Property
13483-511: The historical Reform Party of Canada advocated structural changes to government to counter what they believed was the disenfranchisement of Western Canadians. Some social democratic parties such as the aforementioned Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Canadian New Democratic Party are still considered to be reformist and are seen as centre-left . None of the initial figures that founded modern socialism in
13622-423: The idea that class antagonism between the workers and owners came from the dispute over possession of the instruments of labor. From 1830 onward the Saint-Simonians began to refer to the opposition between the bourgeoise and the proletariat . Beginning in 1832 Bazard and Enfantin began to emphasize the term "socialism" as the word that best represented their system. According to John Stuart Mill writing in 1848
13761-464: The immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority." Marx believed that the proletariat was the only class with both the cohesion, the means and the determination to carry the revolution forward. Unlike the utopian socialists, who often idealised agrarian life and deplored the growth of modern industry, Marx saw the growth of capitalism and an urban proletariat as a necessary stage towards socialism. For Marxists, socialism or, as Marx termed it,
13900-416: The individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation... and it was evident that just in proportion to the contact of persons or interests, so are concessions and compromises indispensable." The four-page weekly paper Warren edited during 1833, The Peaceful Revolutionist , was the first anarchist periodical published. Anarchist Peter Sabatini reports that in the United States in
14039-430: The inequality in society through the redistribution of wealth and the abolition of private property. The French Enlightenment philosopher Marquis de Condorcet did not oppose the existence of private property, but did believe that the primary cause of suffering in society was the lower classes' lack of land and capital and therefore supported policies similar to the modern social safety net that could be used to protect
14178-515: The later Marxist historical materialism , which could be used to predict future developments, and wherein the economic condition of civilization is determined by the level of technology, with the three general epochs being slavery, serfdom, and finally the proletariat or wage labor. Saint-Simon did not see the working class or proletariat as crucial to change, but instead believed that manufacturers, bankers, artists, scholars, and other educated people would transform society into one where humans made
14317-466: The least hope of success. Most of the experimenters left in despair of all reforms, and conservatism felt itself confirmed. We had tried every conceivable form of organization and government. We had a world in miniature. --we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result. ...It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us ...our 'united interests' were directly at war with
14456-453: The logic of capitalism. French social theorist Andre Gorz criticized reformism by advocating a third alternative to reformism and social revolution that he called " non-reformist reforms ", specifically focused on structural changes to capitalism as opposed to reforms to improve living conditions within capitalism or to prop it up through economic interventionism . In modern times, some reformists are seen as centre-right . For example,
14595-591: The lower classes and ameliorate economic and social problems in society. According to Sheldon Richman, "[i]n the 19th and early 20th centuries, 'socialism' did not exclusively mean collective or government ownership of the means of production but was an umbrella term for anyone who believed labour was cheated out of its natural product under historical capitalism." Prior to the Revolutions of 1848 , communism and socialism had differing religious implications with socialism being seen as secular and atheistic and communism being seen as religious, leading to Owen preferring
14734-471: The main industries, have provided a significant base for the SPD in the 20th century. In the city of Bremen , the SPD has continuously governed since 1949. In southern Germany, the SPD typically garners less support except in the largest cities. At the 2009 federal election , the party lost its only constituency in the entire state of Bavaria (in Munich ). Small town and rural support comes especially from
14873-552: The moment to calling liberty or equality." For American anarchist historian Eunice Minette Schuster, "[i]t is apparent ... that Proudhonian Anarchism was to be found in the United States at least as early as 1848 and that it was not conscious of its affinity to the Individualist Anarchism of Josiah Warren and Stephen Pearl Andrews ... William B. Greene presented this Proudhonian Mutualism in its purest and most systematic form". Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876),
15012-441: The most popular party in German federal elections from 1890 onward, although it was surpassed by other parties in terms of seats won in the Reichstag due to the electoral system. In the years leading up to World War I , the SPD remained radical in principle, but moderate in reality. According to Roger Eatwell and Anthony Wright, the SPD became a party of reform, with social democracy representing "a party that strives after
15151-624: The most vulnerable. In response to the inequalities in the industrializing economy of late 18th century Britain pamphleteers and agitators such as Thomas Spence and Thomas Paine began to advocate for social reform. As early as the 1770s Spence called for the common ownership of land, democratically run decentralized government, and welfare support especially for mothers and children. His views were detailed in his self-published pamphlets such as Property in Land Every One's Right in 1775 and The Meridian Sun in 1796. Thomas Paine proposed
15290-513: The original participants in the New Harmony Society, saw the community as doomed to failure due to a lack of individual sovereignty and private property. In Periodical Letter II (1856), he wrote of the community: "It seemed that the difference of opinion, tastes and purposes increased just in proportion to the demand for conformity. Two years were worn out in this way; at the end of which, I believe that not more than three persons had
15429-613: The party platform, political freedom , justice and social solidarity form the basis of social democracy. The SPD is mostly composed of members belonging to either of the two main wings, namely the Keynesian social democrats and Third Way moderate social democrats belonging to the Seeheimer Kreis . While the more moderate Seeheimer Kreis generally support the Agenda 2010 programs introduced by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder ,
15568-513: The people at New Harmony were "a heterogeneous collection of radicals, enthusiastic devotees to principle, honest latitudinarians , and lazy theorists, with a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in". The larger community lasted only until 1827, at which time smaller communities were formed, which led to further subdivision, until individualism replaced socialism in 1828. New Harmony dissolved in 1829 due to constant quarrels as parcels of land and property were sold and returned to private use. In
15707-491: The play, Athenian women are depicted as seizing control of the Athenian government and banning all private property. As the character Praxagora puts it "I shall begin by making land, money, everything that is private property, common to all." Plato later wrote his Republic which argues for the common distribution of property between the upper elite in society who are, similar to Sparta, to live communally. The economy of
15846-447: The populist movement in the 1880s). Leroux, a Christian socialist , saw individualism as the primary moral sickness plaguing society. The French politician Philippe Buchez became the leader of the Christian socialist movement in France during the 1830s. In 1839 the socialist writer Louis Blanc wrote his first work on socialism, the treatise, La Organisation du Travail . Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809–1865) pronounced that "property
15985-532: The privately owned estate or oikos , it was still understood that the needs of the city or polis always came before those of the individual property owner and his family. Ancient Greeks were also encouraged by their custom of koinonia to voluntarily share their wealth and property with other citizens, forgive the debts of debtors, serve in roles as public servants without pay, and participate in other pro-social actions. This idea of koinonia could express itself it different ways throughout Ancient Greece from
16124-538: The radical English labor agitator Thomas Spence , the Spenceans, were notable figures in the early British labor movement. While Fourier and Owen sought to build socialism on the foundations of small, planned, utopian communities, Saint-Simon desired to enact change through a large scale initiative that put industrialists and experts in charge of society. Early-19th-century followers of the utopian theories of such thinkers as Owen, Saint-Simon and Fourier could use
16263-444: The reorganisation of society along collectivist lines, Saint-Simon, Fourier, and Owen served as the primary advocates for what later became known as Utopian Socialism . The views of these original utopian socialist thinkers were not identical. For example, Saint-Simon and Fourier saw no need to abolish private property or adopt democratic principles, while Owen supported both democracy and collective ownership of property. Followers of
16402-418: The same year Owen stated: "Eight hours' daily labor is enough for any [adult] human being, and under proper arrangements sufficient to afford an ample supply of food, raiment and shelter, or the necessaries and comforts of life, and for the remainder of his time, every person is entitled to education, recreation and sleep." Leaving England for the United States, Robert Owen and his sons began an experiment with
16541-464: The socialist transformation of society by the means of democratic and economic reforms". They emphasise this development as central to understanding 20th-century social democracy, of which the SPD was a major influence. In the 1912 federal election , the SPD won 34.8 per cent of votes and became the largest party in the Reichstag with 110 seats, although it was still excluded from government. Despite
16680-399: The state level. From August until October 2010, senior Bundestag member Joachim Poß served as interim Bundestag leader in the absence of Frank-Walter Steinmeier , who was recovering from donating a kidney to his wife. The SPD, at times called SAPD, took part in general elections determining the composition of parliament. For elections up until 1933, the parliament was called
16819-502: The term socialism. In 1830, the two leaders of socialist group the Saint-Simonians, Amand Bazard and Barthélemy Enfantin, denounced communism to the French Chamber of Deputies . Because the Saint-Simonians still advocated the socialization of the means of production, just not all private property, this established an important early distinction between their school of socialism and the communism of rival political groups such as
16958-421: The terms co-operative , mutualist , associationist , societarian , phalansterian , agrarianist , and radical to describe their beliefs along with the later term socialist. The English word "socialist" in its modern sense relates to Owenite thought and dates from at least 1822. Robert Owen was considered the founder of socialism in England. Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon (1760–1825)
17097-408: The traditionally Protestant areas of northern Germany and Brandenburg (with previous exceptions such as Western Pomerania where CDU leader Angela Merkel held her constituency, which the SPD gained in 2021) and a number of university towns. A striking example of the general pattern is the traditionally Catholic Emsland , where the Social Democrats generally gain a low percentage of votes, whereas
17236-461: The transformation of society into small, local collectives without such elaborate systems of social organisation. Owen managed mills for many years. He transformed life in the village of New Lanark with ideas and opportunities which were at least a hundred years ahead of their time. Child labour and corporal punishment were abolished, and villagers were provided with decent homes, schools and evening classes, free health-care, and affordable food. Owen
17375-536: Was a Russian writer, revolutionary, and the first champion of socialism in Russia. His writings contributed to the abolition of serfdom in Russia under Alexander II , and he later became known as the "Father of Russian socialism". Herzen initiated the belief that socialism would eventually take hold in Russia using the traditional rural Russian communal villages or mir as a basis for its propagation. Influenced by Hegel, he believed that only through revolution could
17514-824: Was appointed a member of the committee, and according to Saul Padover, Marx and Johann Georg Eccarius, a tailor living in London, became "the two mainstays of the International from its inception to its end". The First International became the first major international forum for the promulgation of socialist ideas, uniting diverse revolutionary currents including French followers of Proudhon , Blanquists , Philadelphes , English trade unionists, socialists and social democrats . Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( German : Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands , [zoˈtsi̯aːldemoˌkʁaːtɪʃə paʁˌtaɪ ˈdɔʏtʃlants] , SPD , German pronunciation: [ɛspeːˈdeː] )
17653-534: Was discovered by the Directory and its leaders were arrested. Babeuf and a number of his supporters were executed for their role in the conspiracy. Buonarroti would eventually become a historian and pen an account of the conspiracy he had helped create. The Conspiracy of the Equals would become the most infamous of proto-socialist thought and action, eventually being deemed by Marx and Engels as having been "[one of]
17792-478: Was established as a Marxist party in 1875. It underwent a major shift in policies, reflected in the differences between the Heidelberg Program of 1925 which called for "the transformation of the capitalist system of private ownership of the means of production to social ownership" and the Godesberg Program of 1959 which aimed to broaden the party's voter base and to move its political position toward
17931-457: Was held by Social Democrats until the 1920 federal election , when the SPD lost a substantial portion of its support, falling to 22 per cent of votes. After this, the SPD yielded the chancellery to other parties, although it remained part of the government until 1924. Ebert died in 1925 and was succeeded by conservative Paul von Hindenburg . After making gains in the 1928 federal election , the SPD's Hermann Müller became chancellor. As Germany
18070-525: Was later increased to twenty dirhams. The basis for modern socialism primarily originates with the Age of Enlightenment and the accompanying rise of liberalism and the Industrial Revolution . The French philosophes such as Montesquieu , Voltaire , and Rousseau and other European intellectuals such as Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant criticized the traditional purview, policies, and character of governments, believing that through reform changes could be made that benefited all of society rather than just
18209-470: Was moderate and focused on building working-class organizations. In the 1912 federal election , the SPD won 34.8 percent of votes and became the largest party in the Reichstag , but was still excluded from government. After the start of the First World War in 1914, the party split between a pro-war mainstream and the anti-war Independent Social Democratic Party , some members of which later formed
18348-471: Was much reduced as a consequence of contemporary full employment , Keynesian management of the economy and reduced capitalist exploitation. After the third successive defeat of his party in the 1959 general election , Hugh Gaitskell attempted to reformulate the original wording of Clause IV in the party's constitution , but proved unsuccessful. Some of the younger followers of Gaitskell, principally Roy Jenkins , Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams , left
18487-578: Was paid by the Shudras , or laboring class. In return the emperor supplied the laborers with agricultural products, animals, seeds, tools, public infrastructure, and stored food in reserve for times of crisis. In Iran , Mazdak (died c. 524 or 528 CE ), a priest and political reformer, preached and instituted a religiously based socialist or proto-socialist system in the Zoroastrian context of Sassanian Persia. Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī (d. 652 CE),
18626-458: Was preceded and influenced by the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau , whose Social Contract famously began: "Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains". Rousseau is credited with influencing socialist thought, but it was François-Noël Babeuf , and his Conspiracy of Equals , who is credited with providing a model for left-wing and communist movements of the 19th century. Marx and Engels drew from these socialist or communist ideas born in
18765-445: Was refounded. It merged with the West German party in 1990, shortly before German reunification . The SPD returned to government under Gerhard Schröder after the 1998 federal election in a coalition with The Greens . This government was re-elected in 2002 but defeated in 2005 . The SPD then became junior partner of a grand coalition with the CDU/CSU until 2009 . After a term in opposition, they again served as junior partner to
18904-485: Was struck hard by the Great Depression , and unable to negotiate an effective response to the crisis, Müller resigned in 1930. The SPD was sidelined as the Nazi Party gained popularity and conservatives dominated the government, assisted by Hindenburg's frequent use of emergency powers . The Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold , the SPD's paramilitary wing, was frequently involved in violent confrontations with
19043-588: Was subsequently banned, and operated in exile as the Sopade . After the Second World War from 1939 to 1945, the SPD was re-established. In East Germany , it merged with the KPD under duress to form the Socialist Unity Party of Germany . In West Germany , the SPD became one of two major parties alongside the CDU/CSU . In its Godesberg Program of 1959, the SPD dropped its commitment to Marxism, becoming
19182-408: Was the founder of French socialism as well as modern theoretical socialism in general. As one of the founders of positivism along with his secretary Auguste Comte , Saint-Simon sought to impose upon political science the same level of empiricism and consistency as existed within the physical sciences. As early as 1803 in his work Letters from an inhabitant of Geneva he suggested the formation of
19321-730: Was the word predominantly used by Marxists up until World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution , at which time Vladimir Lenin made the conscious decision to replace the term socialism with communism , renaming the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party to the All-Russian Communist Party . "The French Revolution of 1789," Karl Marx (1818–1883) and Frederick Engels (1820–1895) wrote, "abolished feudal property in favour of bourgeois property". The French Revolution
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