Jürgen Schmidt. August Bebel: Social Democracy and the Founding of the Labour Movement.

Abstract

With a life spanning from 1840 to 1913, August Bebel, the longtime leader of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), witnessed the dramatic transformation of the German lands. He saw Germany’s transition from a set of disparate states in an era of revolution and reaction to a powerful force within Europe on the brink of war. Bebel’s Germany was constantly torn between reform and repression. With its policy on universal manhood suffrage, it was a beacon of democracy. With national laws on social insurance and vast infrastructure schemes following its rapid industrialization and population growth from the middle of the century, Germany was also a locus of social reform. And yet, Germany under the conservative Bismarck also had effectively banned socialism and turned a blind eye to working conditions. Bebel was both a central actor in as well as witness to these enormous changes over the course of his lifetime. His story, told in this masterful but concise biography by Jürgen Schmidt, is not only relevant but also compelling reading for all those interested in German history or, indeed, the history of Europe in the long nineteenth century.