Gotha ProgramThe Gotha Program (German: Gothaer Programm) was the party platform adopted by what would become the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) at its initial conference, held in the city of Gotha from 22 to 27 May 1875.
Social Democratic Party of GermanyCentre-left political party in GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social democraticpolitical party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Lars Klingbeil has been the party's co-leader since the 2021 SPD federal Party convention and served together with Bärbel Bas from June 2025 to October 2026, when she resigned. After losing the 2025 federal election, the party is part of the Merz government as the junior coalition partner.
Karl KautskyAustrian-German Marxist theorist (1854–1938) Karl KautskyKautsky in 1904BornKarl Johann Kautsky(1854-10-16)16 October 1854Prague, Austrian EmpireDied17 October 1938(1938-10-17) (aged 84)Amsterdam, NetherlandsEducationUniversity of ViennaKnown forLeading theorist of orthodox MarxismNotable workEditor of Die Neue Zeit (1883–1917)Erfurt Program (1891)The Class Struggle (Erfurt Program) (1892)The Road to Power (1909)The Dictatorship of the Proletariat (1918)Political partySocial Democratic Party of Austria (1875–1880)Social Democratic Party of Germany (1880–1917; 1922–1938)Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (1917–1922)MovementMarxismSocial democracyDemocratic socialismSpouses Louise Strasser (m. 1883; div.
Maximum programmeIn Marxist praxis, a maximum programme consists of a series of demands aiming to achieve socialism. The concept of a maximum programme comes from the Erfurt Programme approved at the Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) held in 1891 in Erfurt, and later mirrored by much of the Socialist International of 1889–1916. The Erfurt Programme was composed of a maximum and a minimum programme (consisting of immediate social demands).
August BebelFerdinand August Bebel (22 February 1840 – 13 August 1913) was a German social democratic politician. One of the founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), he was a leader of the German workers' movement for over four decades. Bebel served as a member of parliament in the North German Confederation from 1867 to 1870 and in the German Empire from 1871 until his death in 1913 (excepting 1881-1883), becoming the movement's leading parliamentary voice.
Wilhelm LiebknechtWilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht (German: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈliːpknɛçt] ; 29 March 1826 – 7 August 1900) was a German social democratic politician and journalist. A principal founder of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), his political career was a pioneering project in steering a Marxist-inspired workers' party to electoral success and mass membership.
MarxismPolitical philosophy Schools of thought Fields of study Aesthetics Archaeology Anthropology Criminology Cultural analysis Cultural studies Film theory Geography Historiography International relations Literary criticism Mathematics Religion Sociology Theoretical works People Journals Antipode Capital & Class Capitalism Nature Socialism Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory Historical Materialism Mediations Monthly Review New Left Review Race & Class Rethinking Marxism Science & Society Socialist Register Related topics Communism portal Socialism portal Politics portalvte Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a dialectical materialist interpretation of historical development, known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict.
Class struggleConcept in political and social science This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
Ferdinand LassalleFerdinand Johann Gottlieb Lassalle (11 April 1825 – 31 August 1864) was a German jurist, philosopher, and socialist activist. Best remembered as an initiator of the social democratic movement in Germany, in 1863 he founded the General German Workers' Association (ADAV), the first independent German workers' party. His political theories, a form of state socialism, are known as Lassalleanism.
ErfurtErfurt (German pronunciation: [ˈɛʁfʊʁt] ) is the capital and largest city of the Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the River Gera, in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest, and in the middle of a line of the six largest Thuringian cities (Thüringer Städtekette), stretching from Eisenach in the west, via Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar and Jena, to Gera in the east.German languageGerman (Deutsch, pronounced [dɔɪ̯tʃ] ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It is also an official language of Luxembourg, Belgium and the Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol, French autonomous region of Alsace and as well as a recognised national language in Namibia.
Political platformFormal set of principal goals supported by a political party or candidate A political party platform (North American English), party program, or party manifesto (preferential term in British and often Commonwealth English) is a formal set of principal goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public's support and votes about complicated topics or issues.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.