German Social Democracy 1918 1933

Originally published in 1981, this book covers the development of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from its inception to the end of the Weimar republic. Within a historical framework it analyses the role and operation of the SPD in the changing social and political climate of Germany and describes the party’s internal struggles throughout the period. The party continually debated its aims and the means to achieve them. Conducted by people such as Kautsky, Bernsteina dn Rosa Luxemburg, with close links to Marx, Engels and other leaders of the international socialist movement, this debate within the party was one of the most fundamental socialist controversies, whose relevance remains today.

Jones offers a detailed and comprehensive overview of the development and decline of the German Democratic party and the German People's party from 1918 to 1933. In tracing the impact of World War I, the runaway inflation to the 1920s, and the Great Depression of the 1930s upon Germany's middle-class electorate, the study demonstrates why the forces of liberalism were ineffective in preventing the rise of nazism and the establishment of the Third Reich. Originally published in 1988. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.