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[td]In the years leading up to [[World War I]], the SPD remained [[Political radicalism|radical]] in principle, but [[Political moderate|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 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.<ref>Eatwell, Roger; Wright, Anthony (1999). Contemporary Political Ideologies (2nd ed.). London: Continuum. p. 87. {{ISBN|978-1-85567-605-3}}.</ref> In the [[1912 German federal election|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elections to the German Reichstag (1871β1890): A Statistical Overview |url=http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/docpage.cfm?docpage_id=3215 |publisher=Nohlen & StΓΆver}}</ref> Despite the [[Second International]]'s agreement to oppose militarism,<ref>In, for example, the [[International Socialist Congress, Stuttgart 1907]].</ref> the SPD supported the German war effort and adopted a policy, known as {{Lang|de|[[Burgfriedenspolitik]]}}, of refraining from calling strikes or criticising the government.<ref>V. R. Berghahn, ''Germany and the Approach of War in 1914'' (1974) pp. 178β85</ref><ref>Dieter Groh, "The 'Unpatriotic Socialists' and the State." ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 1.4 (1966): 151β77. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/259895 online].</ref> 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).<ref>Winkler, ''Der lange Weg nach Westen'', Beck Verlag Munich, 2000, p. 362</ref>[/td]Revision as of 01:22, 30 August 2025
[/td][td]In the years leading up to [[World War I]], the SPD remained [[Political radicalism|radical]] in principle, but [[Political moderate|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 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.<ref>Eatwell, Roger; Wright, Anthony (1999). Contemporary Political Ideologies (2nd ed.). London: Continuum. p. 87. {{ISBN|978-1-85567-605-3}}.</ref> In the [[1912 German federal election|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elections to the German Reichstag (1871β1890): A Statistical Overview |url=http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/docpage.cfm?docpage_id=3215 |publisher=Nohlen & StΓΆver}}</ref> Despite the [[Second International]]'s agreement to oppose militarism,<ref>In, for example, the [[International Socialist Congress, Stuttgart 1907]].</ref> the SPD supported the German war effort and adopted a policy, known as {{Lang|de|[[Burgfriedenspolitik]]}}, of refraining from calling strikes or criticising the government.<ref>V. R. Berghahn, ''Germany and the Approach of War in 1914'' (1974) pp. 178β85</ref><ref>Dieter Groh, "The 'Unpatriotic Socialists' and the State." ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 1.4 (1966): 151β77. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/259895 online].</ref> 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).<ref>Winkler, ''Der lange Weg nach Westen'', Beck Verlag Munich, 2000, p. 362</ref>[/td] [td][/td]
[td][/td] [td]The SPD played a key role in the [[German Revolution of 1918β1919]]. On 9 November 1918, leading SPD member [[Friedrich Ebert]] was designated chancellor and fellow Social Democrat [[Philipp Scheidemann]], on his own authority, [[Proclamation of the republic in Germany|proclaimed Germany a republic]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Haffner|first=Sebastian|title=Die deutsche Revolution 1918/19 (German)|publisher=Kindler|year=2002|isbn=978-3-463-40423-3}}</ref> The SPD government introduced a large number of reforms in the following months, introducing various [[civil liberties]] and [[labor rights]].<ref>The Social Democratic Party of Germany 1848β2005 by Heinrich Potthoff and Susanne Miller</ref> Concurrently, they used military force against [[communist]] and socialist revolutionary groups, leading to a permanent split between the SPD and the [[Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany|USPD]], as well as the [[Spartacus League|Spartacist League]] which would go on to form the [[Communist Party of Germany]] (KPD) and integrate a majority of USPD members as well.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Heiden|first1=Konrad|title=Der Fuehrer: Hitler's Rise to Power|url=https://archive.org/details/derfueh...ess=registration|date=1944|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|location=Boston, MA|pages=[https://archive.org/details/derfuehrerhitler00heid/page/23 23β24]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=McDermott |first1=Kevin |title=The Comintern: a history of international communism from Lenin to Stalin |last2=Agnew |first2=Jeremy |date=1996 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-55284-1 |location=Basingstoke |pages=19}}</ref> The SPD was the largest party during the first 13 years of the new [[Weimar Republic]]. It decisively won the [[1919 German federal election|1919 federal election]] with 37.9 per cent of votes, and Ebert became the first [[President of Germany|president]] in February.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kolb|first=Eberhard|title=The Weimar Republic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EZp9wxPsi_sC&pg=PA226|access-date=10 February 2012|year=2005|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-34441-8|page=226}}</ref> The position of chancellor was held by Social Democrats until the [[1920 German federal election|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 German federal election|1928 federal election]], the SPD's [[Hermann MΓΌller (politician, born 1876)|Hermann MΓΌller]] became chancellor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz66522.html|title=Biografie Hermann MΓΌller (-Franken) (German)|publisher=Bayerische Nationalbibliothek|access-date=16 December 2013}}</ref>[/td]
[td]The SPD played a key role in the [[German Revolution of 1918β1919]]. On 9 November 1918, leading SPD member [[Friedrich Ebert]] was designated chancellor and fellow Social Democrat [[Philipp Scheidemann]], on his own authority, [[Proclamation of the republic in Germany|proclaimed Germany a republic]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Haffner|first=Sebastian|title=Die deutsche Revolution 1918/19 (German)|publisher=Kindler|year=2002|isbn=978-3-463-40423-3}}</ref> The SPD government introduced a large number of reforms in the following months, introducing various [[civil liberties]] and [[labor rights]].<ref>The Social Democratic Party of Germany 1848β2005 by Heinrich Potthoff and Susanne Miller</ref> However, they used military force against [[communist]] and socialist revolutionary groups, leading to a permanent split between the SPD and the [[Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany|USPD]], as well as the [[Spartacus League|Spartacist League]] which would go on to form the [[Communist Party of Germany]] (KPD) and integrate a majority of USPD members as well.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Heiden|first1=Konrad|title=Der Fuehrer: Hitler's Rise to Power|url=https://archive.org/details/derfueh...ess=registration|date=1944|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|location=Boston, MA|pages=[https://archive.org/details/derfuehrerhitler00heid/page/23 23β24]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=McDermott |first1=Kevin |title=The Comintern: a history of international communism from Lenin to Stalin |last2=Agnew |first2=Jeremy |date=1996 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-55284-1 |location=Basingstoke |pages=19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Evans |first=Richard J. |title=The coming of the Third Reich |date=2005 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-303469-8 |location=New York}}</ref> The SPD was the largest party during the first 13 years of the new [[Weimar Republic]]. It decisively won the [[1919 German federal election|1919 federal election]] with 37.9 per cent of votes, and Ebert became the first [[President of Germany|president]] in February.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kolb|first=Eberhard|title=The Weimar Republic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EZp9wxPsi_sC&pg=PA226|access-date=10 February 2012|year=2005|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-34441-8|page=226}}</ref> The position of chancellor was held by Social Democrats until the [[1920 German federal election|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 German federal election|1928 federal election]], the SPD's [[Hermann MΓΌller (politician, born 1876)|Hermann MΓΌller]] became chancellor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz66522.html|title=Biografie Hermann MΓΌller (-Franken) (German)|publisher=Bayerische Nationalbibliothek|access-date=16 December 2013}}</ref>[/td] [td][/td]
[td][/td] [td][[File:Three Arrows election poster of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, 1932 - Gegen Papen, Hitler, ThΓ€lmann.png|thumb|right|A widely publicized SPD election poster from 1932, with the [[Three Arrows]] symbol representing resistance against [[reactionary conservatism]], [[Nazism]] and [[Communism]], and with the [[slogan]] "Against [[Franz von Papen|Papen]], [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]], [[Ernst ThΓ€lmann|ThΓ€lmann]]"]]As Germany was struck hard by the [[Great Depression]], and unable to negotiate an effective response to the crisis, MΓΌller 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 [[State of emergency|emergency powers]]. The {{Lang|de|[[Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold]]}}, the SPD's paramilitary wing, was frequently involved in violent confrontations with the Nazi ''[[Sturmabteilung]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Die Eiserne Front|url=http://reichsbanner.de/reichsbanner...front/|website=reichsbanner.de|access-date=10 October 2017}}</ref> The Nazis overtook the SPD as the largest party in [[July 1932 German federal election|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.<ref>Kitson, Alison. ''Germany, 1858β1990: Hope, Terror, and Revival'', pp. 153β54 (Oxford U. Press 2001).</ref> The SPD was banned in June. Many members were subsequently imprisoned and killed by the [[Government of Nazi Germany|Nazi government]] while others fled the country. The party-in-exile was called [[Sopade]].<ref>William Shirer, ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'' (Touchstone Edition) (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990)</ref>[/td]
[td][[File:Three Arrows election poster of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, 1932 - Gegen Papen, Hitler, ThΓ€lmann.png|thumb|right|A widely publicized SPD election poster from 1932, with the [[Three Arrows]] symbol representing resistance against [[reactionary conservatism]], [[Nazism]] and [[Communism]], and with the [[slogan]] "Against [[Franz von Papen|Papen]], [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]], [[Ernst ThΓ€lmann|ThΓ€lmann]]"]]As Germany was struck hard by the [[Great Depression]], and unable to negotiate an effective response to the crisis, MΓΌller 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 [[State of emergency|emergency powers]]. The {{Lang|de|[[Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold]]}}, the SPD's paramilitary wing, was frequently involved in violent confrontations with the Nazi ''[[Sturmabteilung]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Die Eiserne Front|url=http://reichsbanner.de/reichsbanner...front/|website=reichsbanner.de|access-date=10 October 2017}}</ref> The Nazis overtook the SPD as the largest party in [[July 1932 German federal election|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.<ref>Kitson, Alison. ''Germany, 1858β1990: Hope, Terror, and Revival'', pp. 153β54 (Oxford U. Press 2001).</ref> The SPD was banned in June. Many members were subsequently imprisoned and killed by the [[Government of Nazi Germany|Nazi government]] while others fled the country. The party-in-exile was called [[Sopade]].<ref>William Shirer, ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'' (Touchstone Edition) (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990)</ref>[/td]
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