Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-074-08, Volksbeauftragte Landsberg, Scheidemann, Noske, Ebert, Wissell

The Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Mehrheitssozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, MSPD) was the name officially used by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) during the period 1917-1922. This differentiated it from the more left wing

Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was establish ...

(german: Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, USPD). Nevertheless they were often simply called the SPD.

The split

Prior to the war there had been much discussion about opposing the impending war amongst the SPD, but once the war started the SPD agreed on a political truce or

Burgfriedenspolitik (, ) is a German term that refers to the political truce between Germany's political parties during World War I. The trade unions refrained from striking, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) voted for war credits in the Reichstag, and the partie ...

whereby despite their disagreements none of the MPs voted against war credits. Originally even

Karl Liebknecht Karl Paul August Friedrich Liebknecht (; 13 August 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a German socialist and anti-militarist. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) beginning in 1900, he was one of its deputies in the Reichstag fro ...

only abstained, although in 1914 he voted against war credits. Then in December 1915 20 MPs from the SPD issued a statement in the Reichstag against the truce. Those 20 MPs from the SPD opposed the war loans in the chamber.

During the revolution

Gustav Noske Gustav Noske (9 July 1868 – 30 November 1946) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as the first Minister of Defence (''Reichswehrminister'') of the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1920. Noske has been a cont ...

of the MSPD recruited the right-wing nationalist

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, rega ...

to suppress the

Spartacist uprising The Spartacist uprising (German: ), also known as the January uprising (), was a general strike and the accompanying armed struggles that took place in Berlin from 5 to 12 January 1919. It occurred in connection with the November Revolutio ...

and the

Bavarian Soviet Republic The Bavarian Soviet Republic, or Munich Soviet Republic (german: Räterepublik Baiern, Münchner Räterepublik),Hollander, Neil (2013) ''Elusive Dove: The Search for Peace During World War I''. McFarland. p.283, note 269. was a short-lived unre ...

in 1919. Noske was later appointed as the first Reichswehr Minister of the Weimar Republic. He was politically responsible for numerous murders committed by the Freikorps on many known and unknown revolutionaries, including the murder of Rosa Luxemburg and

on 15 January 1919 by Freikorps soldiers led by

Waldemar Pabst Ernst Julius Waldemar Pabst (24 December 1880 – 29 May 1970) was a German soldier and political activist, involved in right-wing and anti-communist activity in both his homeland and Austria. As a serving officer Pabst gained notoriety for orde ...

Reunification

On 24 September 1922, the parties officially merged again after a joint party convention in Nuremberg, adopting the name (VSPD, "United Social Democratic Party of Germany"), which was shortened again to SPD in 1924.

References

{{Authority control 1917 establishments in Germany 1922 disestablishments in Germany Defunct socialist parties in Germany Organizations of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 Political parties disestablished in 1922 Political parties established in 1917 Political parties in the Weimar Republic Political parties of the German Empire Social Democratic Party of Germany Social democratic parties in Germany