The Establishment of the Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Germany

The first proletarian party in the world established within the scope of a nation-state. A product of the combination of Marxism and the German workers' movement.

In the 1860s, with the rapid development of German capitalist economy, the industrial proletariat in Germany grew rapidly, and the worker movement showed a new situation of vigorous development, which put forth the realistic demand of establishing an independent political organization of the working class. In this period, inspired by the organization and propaganda of some veteran revolutionaries who participated in the 1848 Revolution, some politically independent workers’ organizations were established one after another. In May 1863, the General German Workers’ Association was founded in Leipzig, under the chairmanship of Lassalle. This was the first national political organization of the German workers’ movement and an important symbol of the emergence of the politically independent workers’ movement. In June 1863, the General German Workers’ Association was established in Frankfurt. As a result of the further spread of Marxism, a group of advanced workers emerged in the German workers’ movement, which prepared the conditions for the establishment of the Germany’s proletarian party.

On August 7–9, 1869, the General German Social-Democrat Workers' Congress was convened in the city of Eisenach, and the “Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Germany” (also known as the “Eisenachers” because the inaugural congress was held in the city of Eisenach) was founded. This congress adopted the Party’s programme. Although this programme reflected some influences of Lassallean ideas, its basic views were in line with Marxist principles. The party’s programme declared that the Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Germany was a branch of the International Workingmen’s Association. The congress elected a five-member steering committee whose principal leaders were Bebel, Liebknecht, Bracke and an 11-member supervisory committee. The congress also decided to publish Der Volksstaat (The People’s State) as the newspaper of the Party. The establishment of the Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Germany greatly promoted the German workers’ movement and the international communist movement.