[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-40629-en":3,"doc-seo-40629-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":11,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},40629,1099514067415,"Rowan","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/100002539d78ffe74a7?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779092875211072502",8,"Research & Report","150 Years of German Social Democracy","This occasional paper reflects on Ferdinand Lassalle’s 1863 call for socialist and social democratic unity, outlining his program: consolidation in a party, a struggle for universal suffrage, and the expectation of workers’ dominance. It connects this historical vision of a just, cooperative society to contemporary challenges. The paper then assesses social democracy’s decline in Germany, citing falling SPD support and membership losses, and analyzes the crisis through ideological and cultural shifts after 2007.","| 150 Years of German Social Democracy\u003Cbr>by Zygmunt Bauman |\n| --- |\n|  |\n\nOctober  \n2013  \nSocial Europe Occasional Paper  \nSome time ago in Leipzig, representatives of 70 socialist and social democratic parties from all over the world met to commemorate an open letter issued by a citizen of Wroclaw, Ferdinand Lassalle, on 1 March 1863. In it, Lassalle addressed people who suffered injustice, were victims or intolerance or who had been denied their dignity. He called upon them to unite their efforts to build a world that will fulfil the principles of justice. Shortly afterwards, on 23 May, the first meeting of the people addressed in that letter was held in Leipzig. The ADAV (General German Union of Workers) was founded, an organization which became the prototype of all subsequent workers’ associations in the whole of Europe. They all responded to Lassalle’s challenge.  \nWhat did Lassalle want? He had quite a specific programme and, considering the historical context, one must admit that his vision was quite realistic:  \n1. To unite. Only in unity are we strong, individually we shall achieve nothing. We must merge our strength, our ideas and our courage.  \n2. We are uniting in a party, and then we will use our combined strength to win the general right to vote, to which man is entitled by virtue of his humanity.  \n3. When this has been achieved, the workers will form the absolute majority of the nation.  \nMost of Lassalle’s contemporaries expected industrialization to last forever, just as we expected consumerism to last until 2007. Thus, a stage would be reached where society is divided into two parts: Workers, and those who supervise and exploit them. So, given the general right to vote, it seemed obvious that the workers would gain power in the state.  \nBut what to do with that power? The state had to compel the banks to subsidize manufacturing cooperatives. Instead of factories owned by one man, each worker was to be co-owner of a factory – a cooperative of manufacturers. This was meant to be an alternative to the emerging industrial society. Industry – yes, scientific progress – yes, modernization –yes, but not in the manner pursued by capital, devoid of political control.  \nThese postulates need to be updated, but as far as the objective is concerned, Lassalle’s vision is a vision of a just society in which people live together in harmony and cooperation instead of competition and suspicion. This is on the agenda today just as it was 150 years ago.  \nWe are celebrating an anniversary this year, and usually one talks of the heroes of anniversaries only in positive terms. In commemorative speeches, we forget the errors they committed in their lives. But regarding today’s situation with social democracy, we must discuss a few unfortunate matters.  \nGerman social democracy has enjoyed many decades of rapid growth and triumph. Still ten to fifteen years ago, the attainment of 35 per cent of the votes was normal. Today, the SPD obtains about 24–26 per cent of the votes, which is a serious decline. Since the adoption of Agenda 2010 by Chancellor Schröder, the SPD has lost one third of its members – a disastrous downturn in the party’s history. The SPD is in huge difficulties. One must admit this honestly. This year’s anniversary is not a moment of triumph. Rather, it is an opportunity to realize how great is the effort that lies on the road to triumph.  \nWhat are the reasons for this historical downturn? Why is social democracy in a crisis, why in public opinion polls do fewer and fewer people place themselves to the left of centre?  \nThe wonderful Portuguese writer José Saramago expressed a cruel, even brutal opinion of this: ”The [social democratic] movement once represented some of mankind’s greatest hopes, but with the passing of time it has ceased to play this role. This movement has sold itself to the left-wing”. The left-wing’s programme tells the right-wing: ”Whatever you do, we do it better”. Instead of preparing a p","cbCaiuGOBVxBCDgw","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuGOBVxBCDgw","pdf",93302,2,1,"English","en",105,"# Lassalle’s 1863 program\n## Unity and universal right to vote\n## Worker-led transformation\n# From historical vision to today\n## Updating postulates for a just society\n# Social democracy in crisis\n## Electoral decline and membership losses\n# Ideology, imaginaire, and cultural war\n## Gramsci and the philosophical foundation\n## Bourgeois imaginaire and GDP panacea","[{\"question\":\"What were the key elements of Lassalle’s program as described in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"Lassalle emphasized unity, organizing in a party, and using combined strength to win universal suffrage. He also predicted workers would become the absolute majority once voting rights were achieved.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the paper argue social democracy is in a historical downturn today?\",\"answer\":\"It points to an electoral decline for the SPD and substantial membership losses after Agenda 2010. It also frames the situation as an absence of triumph, requiring honest reflection on the effort ahead.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper explain the left’s crisis through ideology and culture?\",\"answer\":\"Using Gramsci and related concepts, it argues that social conditions depend on ideology/imaginaire rather than only political tactics. It claims the bourgeois imaginaire has prevailed, reshaping the left’s role and assumptions.\"}]",1783313546,20,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":27},"150-years-of-german-social-democracy","",{"@graph":35,"@context":84},[36,52,67],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,46,49],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":47,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":50,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/150-years-of-german-social-democracy/40629/",4,{"url":50,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":40,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-12","2026-07-06",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"What were the key elements of Lassalle’s program as described in the paper?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"Lassalle emphasized unity, organizing in a party, and using combined strength to win universal suffrage. He also predicted workers would become the absolute majority once voting rights were achieved.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"Why does the paper argue social democracy is in a historical downturn today?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"It points to an electoral decline for the SPD and substantial membership losses after Agenda 2010. It also frames the situation as an absence of triumph, requiring honest reflection on the effort ahead.",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"How does the paper explain the left’s crisis through ideology and culture?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"Using Gramsci and related concepts, it argues that social conditions depend on ideology/imaginaire rather than only political tactics. It claims the bourgeois imaginaire has prevailed, reshaping the left’s role and assumptions.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":50,"og:type":86,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":88,"canonical":50},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":24},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":91},[92,96,100,104,109,114,119,122,126,129,133],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":51,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},30,"research-report",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":28,"slug":125},9,"Religion & Spirituality","religion-spirituality",{"id":28,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":127,"show_sort_weight":28,"slug":128},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":130,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":131,"show_sort_weight":130,"slug":132},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":134,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":135,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":136},19,"General","general"]