Social Democratic Party of Germany: history and modernity

What organization, which protects the interests of citizens, was created by Germany? The Social Democratic Party was founded precisely with these goals. Its direction is often confused with the socialist or communist construction of society, but this is a delusion. The Social Democratic Party of Germany, whose program is based on left-wing ideology, has managed to adapt to new political trends. It adopted capitalism as the main lever for the progressive development of society, supported the integration of Germany into the European Union, and established relations with NATO.

Successful rebirth of the basic dogmas for more than 150 years of existence allowed the organization to remain in power and actively transform the country.

History of occurrence

What did the Social Democratic Party of Germany bring to the history of its country?

The organization dates back to 1863. A well-known merchant from Leipzig Ferdinand Lassalle founded an association of German workers. By combining their efforts, they began to assert their rights from businessmen - owners of large companies, who often exploited workers. Association of Workers of Germany became the progenitor of the trade union movement

In the period of the German Empire from 1917 to 1918 the movement numbered about one million citizens, and in the elections of 1919 this party was supported by a third of the population of Germany.

After Germany lost the First World War, the Social Democratic Party split into two parts. In 1918, supporters of the ideology of Marx and the world socialist revolution called their organization communist. And the Social Democrats themselves, led by Friedrich Ebert, were reunited with the liberal part and the conservatives in order to suppress the hotbeds of communist uprisings.

From 1929 until Hitler came to power, the Social Democrats alternately won elections, making up a majority or a minority in the parliament. Thanks to the fact that the party has always been able to adapt to new trends in politics, it has remained on the political arena for many years. Even during the reign of the Third Reich, the Social Democrats held semi-legal congresses, at which they discussed their plans for the future development of Germany.

What caused the change in the traditional views of the Social Democrats in the 1950s?

A sharp change in the traditional views falls on the year 1950. A large number of German citizens are tired of the notorious rhetoric about the opposition of classes, the inequality of people and the idea of nationalizing industrial enterprises. The air felt euphoric from the end of the Second World War and joining NATO and the European Union.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany, whose program was revised in 1956, looked at the problem of building a socialist society through a new prism. A new ideology has become a symbiosis of a capitalist and socially oriented economy.

The Social-Democratic Party of Germany, whose ideology became somewhat renewed, in 1959 created a new "Godesberg program". In it, the SPD completely accepted the market economy, gave its consent to the Western orientation and the revival of the German army. At the same time, the program spoke of the need to abolish capitalism and create a state of social prosperity.

Party achievements

Social Democratic Party SDPG twice achieved major success in the political arena.

The first time it happened in 1969, when thanks to the elections a new government was formed under the leadership of Willy Brandt. The head of the organization entered the history table after he knelt in front of the monument to the victims of fascism in Poland. He managed to find a common language with the Soviet government and the eastern neighbors.

After Brandt in 1998, a new leader appeared. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) was led by Gerhard Schroeder, who formed a coalition with the "green". Schroeder's program was supposed to reduce unemployment and improve the social package for German citizens. But his reforms were not implemented.

After 2009, the Social Democrats are replaced by another political party - Christian Democrats.

Of course, the Social Democratic Party made an indisputable contribution to the development of Germany. It was she who reduced the working day to 8 hours. Trade unions were given the right to negotiate with managers of large enterprises, and women were able to take part in elections. The Social Democrats played a big role in increasing wages and raising social benefits.

The great advantage of the organization was that it always advocated for the freedom of citizens, without seeking at the same time to follow the building of a society based on the Soviet model.

Political flexibility of the party

The German Social-Democratic Party has always sought to find a common language with its competitors. The ability to establish relations with opponents allowed its members to occupy leading public positions and implement their social programs.

Social Democrats today

Today we can say with certainty that the Social Democrats do not enjoy their former popularity. Their activities are in a critical condition. It seems that the time has come for fundamental changes in their program. If this does not happen, who knows if the organization will exist in the future?

It is interesting that the Social Democratic Party of Germany enjoys great success in the territory of the CIS countries and Eastern Europe. Their fund realizes a lot of civil and cultural programs. Activities are carried out in countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

What is the current situation of such an organization as the Social Democratic Party of Germany? 2016, namely, the September parliamentary elections, showed that Christian Democrats and Social Democrats suffered a political fiasco. For both parties, the results of the elections were the worst result for the past decades: the SPD gained 21.6%, and the CDU - 17.6%.

The modern ideology of the Social Democrats of Germany

So what kind of organization does the organization like the Social Democratic Party of Germany have? Briefly it can be stated in the following theses:

• Respect the principles of social equality and justice;
• To protect the rights of citizens;
• Grant citizens equal rights;
• Make the economy oriented to social needs;
• Limit state regulation of the economy;
• Support state-owned enterprises that could become worthy competitors to private enterprises;
• To subject to nationalization large industrial enterprises, in particular military, aerospace and oil refining;
• To ensure social partnership between employers and workers;
• To build a state where all citizens will be socially protected;
• Protect the economic rights of workers;
• Raise the level of the minimum wage;
• Eradicate unemployment;
• Improve working conditions;
• Optimize the levers of social protection.

This organization has been following this line for many years.

Who heads the organization at the moment?

Who leads the Social-Democratic Party of Germany? Today it is led by a major politician, Sigmar Gabriel. From 1999 to 2003 he was the Prime Minister in Lower Saxony. From 2001 to 2009, he was appointed Minister of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety.

Since November 13, 2009, he headed the Social Democratic Party of Germany. In 2013 he was appointed Minister of Economy and Energy.

The Social Democratic Party through the eyes of political scientists

What, in the opinion of political scientists, is the Social Democratic Party of Germany representing today? Most political experts believe that the political landscape of Germany is undergoing radical changes. The elections held in March showed that the ruling circles of the coalition do not use voters' previous success. First of all, this affected the Social Democratic Party. In fact, for the criterion of evaluation, the voter did not take economic growth, but the failure in humanitarian policy-the resettlement of a huge stream of refugees from the East.

Elections have become a clear indicator of discontent among the overwhelming majority of the population by the fact that their country has become a huge refugee camp. The massive refusal to admit immigrants from countries such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other European states only aggravated an already difficult situation. The inability of the German authorities to repel attacks by refugees on German citizens determined the successful promotion of AFD in the March land elections.

If the CDU / CSU, according to observers, has a chance to regain its lost positions, then the Social Democrats do not expect such a possibility. The party loses its supporters year after year. Many political scientists see the reason for the fact that over the past 15 years of its existence, the organization has not created any constructive action plan.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany began to lose its popularity since 2000, which was an indicator of the deep problems existing within the organization. The Social Democrats try to explain the failure of the elections by high competition in the political arena. Many believe that the decline in their rating was due to the emergence of a new "green" left. Since the end of the 1990s, there has been a drop in voter confidence in three traditional parties: Conservatives (CDU / CSU), Liberals (FDP) and Socialists (SPD). Over the past twenty-five years, many new political trends have emerged, which enabled German citizens to more carefully define their priorities.

The well-known political scientist Franz Walter, whose specialization is studying the political situation in Germany, believes that the separation of political programs has shaken the position of the Social Democrats, and the "green" leftists have been able to gain more confidence among citizens. At the same time, conservative programs, according to the expert, remain the advantage of Christian democrats and Christian socialists. They have no serious competitors.

What was the starting point of the crisis?

It all started back in 1972, when Willy Brandt proclaimed the party's refusal to act as a defender of the interests of the working population. They proclaimed a policy of supporting the new center. Since 2000, many voters began to connect their future with parties of a different kind.

Trends in the crisis in the organization were felt during the reign of Gerhard Schroeder, and the economic crisis that arose in Germany only aggravated the negative, directed against the Social Democrats. The Bundestag adopted a new reform program, "Agenda 2010", which reduced social costs: the payment of unemployment benefits was canceled, the retirement age increased to 67 years. All this violated the relationship of the Social-Democratic Party with the trade unions and their main supporters-the workers.

The chairman of the German trade union movement, Michael Sommer, in an interview with Spiegel magazine in 2014 openly stated that the policy of the Social Democrats has ceased to meet the interests of working people.

Many experts believe that the fall of the rating of such a large organization as the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) is caused by the absence of a bright leader like Willy Brandt or, at worst, Gerhard Schroeder. Its modern leaders are successful party workers. However, they are not able to become the face of the organization, because they lack progressive ideas that can inspire voters. This causes citizens to apathy. Many political scientists believe that the most serious mistake was the division of the position of the leader and candidate for the post of Bundescanceler. What is the role of the Social Democratic Party of Germany? Leader Zigmar Gabriel, according to experts, is trying to keep the chair and avoid responsibility for the defeat in the elections.

The crisis of the organization is caused by the decrease in the number of its members from 1 million people to 450,000 in 30 years and a decrease in the age index from 30 to 59 years due to the growth of a group of pensioners. Parallel to this, it is also noted that the ideas of the Social Democrats have not gained popularity among the young generation of Germany. All this will cause a further reduction in the number of party members.

Relations between the Social Democratic Party of Germany and Russia

After the introduction of sanctions by Western countries against our country, the volume of trade between Russia and Germany declined at times. The first half of this year was marked by a 13% drop in turnover. German exports to our country fell to 20%. The loss of the German economy is 12.2 billion euros.

According to representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Germany, the cause of the crisis in economic relations lies in the shaky position of the ruble and a decrease in the purchasing power of Russians.

Vice-Chancellor of Germany Zigmar Gabriel met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 22, 2016. Many newspapers wrote about the results of the two-day stay of the German politician in Russia. The meeting is assessed ambiguously.

What can be said about such an organization as the Social Democratic Party of Germany? She has a loyal attitude to Russia. Vice-Chancellor of Germany Zigmar Gabriel spoke for establishing contacts with our country. In his view, the exclusion of Russia from the G8 was a blunder. At the same time, he notes that our state must strictly adhere to the Minsk agreements to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

Against the tightening of anti-Russian sanctions, Gabriel expressed himself in early 2015. In his view, Russia should sit at the negotiating table, rather than press on it with economic measures. In April 2012, Gabriel openly expressed his opinion about the fact that Germany needs Russia as a major trading partner. True, the position of the vice-chancellor does not greatly influence the mood of the whole of Germany.

The vice-chancellor believes that the world community should look for ways to cooperate with Russia, and not to inflame an already difficult situation. The Social Democrat also spoke about the fact that the isolation of our country with a parallel request to the Kremlin to assist in the settlement of the conflict in Syria is devoid of all logic.

The German press criticizes the Vice-Chancellor

Gabriel's visit to Moscow caused a flurry of indignation in the German press long before this trip. Many journalists noted that the Kremlin uses German politicians to demonstrate its influence. The FAZ newspaper columnist Friedrich Schmidt wrote that Moscow was trying to present the visits of its European neighbors as proof that it was not in an isolated situation.

A press conference with German journalists from the vice-chancellor took place on September 22 at the Ritz Carlton. It seems that the politician expected such a turn and outstripped them, saying that today he held consultations with human rights defenders of Russia. According to Russian politicians, his arrival does not play into the hands of the Kremlin, and representatives of Western countries should visit Russia more often, since any meetings help to smooth existing contradictions. Gabriel assured the journalists that he was not trying to echo the politicians of our country.

So the economy or politics?

Gabriel met with Russian human rights defender Daniil Katkov from the Parnassus party, Galina Mikhaleva from Yabloko and Grigory Melkonyants from the non-profit organization Golos. The German minister discussed violations at the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. There was also a discussion about the neglect of the principles of democracy in our country.

According to the German politician, many Russian political parties were simply not allowed to vote, and pressure was exerted on freedom of speech. But the vice-chancellor's discussion of these topics was superficial. In the dialogue, he tried to convey that the main purpose of his visit was not political, but economic problems.

With the vice-chancellor came a large group of German entrepreneurs who cooperate with Russian businessmen. The meeting was attended by Executive Director of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy Michael Harms (Michael Harms) and a member of the board of the Siemens concern Siegfried Russwurm. It was the interests of these two big businessmen that Gabriel represented at a meeting with the head of our country Vladimir Putin and the Russian Minister of Industry and Economic Development.

Gabriel stressed several times that the main worry is the fate of 5,600 German companies operating in Russia. The issue of legal regulation of investments, as well as the ban on imports was discussed. All this had a detrimental effect not only on the interests of companies, but also on their employees.

According to Gabriel, one can not speak only about economic problems, but it would be a big mistake to not touch them either, as after the introduction of sanctions there is a rapid contraction of jobs both in our country and in Germany.

At a meeting with Russian ministers, the question was raised about how to reduce the degree of dependence of our state on resources, and also to support medium and small businesses.

Elections in Crimea and sanctions

When discussing political topics, the head of the Social Democratic Party of Germany Gabriel tried to avoid sharp criticism of our country. As for the foreign policy issue related to the elections in the Crimea, the Vice-Chancellor noted that the Social Democratic Party holds a position similar to other parties about the illegitimacy of such a step. The conduct of elections in the Crimea contradicts international law and is classed as annexation. Elections in the Crimea, in his opinion, are illegal. And the problem lies not in the elections themselves, but in the events that preceded it.

Statements about European sanctions

What does the Social Democratic Party of Germany think about the timing of sanctions against Russia? Her leader expressed a point of view that was different from the pan-European point of view. According to Sigmar Gabriel, the process is directly dependent on the implementation of the Minsk agreements, but the lifting of economic sanctions should be carried out in stages, as certain items of this agreement are implemented.

The vice-chancellor noted that he was looking at this problem realistically and did not expect from Russia the absolute fulfillment of all the points. At the same time Gabriel stated that in this situation the resolution of the conflict depends not only on our country, but also on Ukraine.