UCSB Hist 133C, L 5:
Political Parties & the Party System
by Prof. Marcuse, Jan. 14, 2004
(superceded by Jan. 2006 version)

Weimar Party Posters

Please fill out index cards

Question 2

• Spell out the acronyms and say something about the political orientation of
  • FDP - orientation
  • CDU - orientation
• Write the names or acronyms for any other 2 German parties, and say whether they are left-wing, center, or right-wing.
  • party 1 - orientation
  • party 2 - orientation

post-1945 Parties

• CDU/CSU=Christian Democratic Union, Christian Socialist Union
• SPD=Socialdemocratic Party Deutschland
• KPD=Kommunist
• East: SPD+KPD=SED Einheit=unity
  (post-89: PDS=Party Democratic Socialism)
• FDP=Free Democratic Party
  East: LDPD=Liberal Democratic Party Deutschlands
• BHE=Refugees: Bund Heimatlos Entrechtet
• NPD / DVU=Nationdemocratic Party Deutschlands, Deutsche VolksUnion, Republikaner
• Greens: environmental party, founded 1979
• see also GermanCulture.com's page with links to English descriptions of the parties (link)

Origins of Political Parties

• groups in the French revolution (eg. Jacobins)
• groups in the US revolutionary war: eg. royalists
• early 1800s: socialist "utopias"
• 1848: Karl Marx condemned them, called his socialism "communist," based on proletariat
• groups in the 1848 Frankfurt National Convention

SPD: Socialdemocratic Party Deutschlands

• 1869: August Bebel & Wilhelm Liebknecht: Social-Democratic Workers Party
• 1878: anti-socialist law
• 1890: lapse -> victory
• 1918: proclaimed rep.
• 1916 split: U/SPD
• Weimar coalitions; Prussia as "rock of democracy"! (Orlow)--SPD-governed state was a huge influence on the Reich
• Mar 1933: voted against Nazi take-over

  In 1878, after an assassination attempt on Wilhelm I, Bismarck had anti-socialist laws passed. He also implemented a very progressive social welfare system, in effect giving the workers what they were agitating for (see 1913 summary, below). In 1890 Wilhelm II allowed them to lapse, and the Social Democrats gained lots of seats in the Reichstag (news article, right). In the post-WWI period Prussia was governed by a progressive SPD government. Since it was so dominant in the Reich (see map), it helped keep the Reich "democratic."

CDU/CSU

• Center Party (Zentrum): Catholic; DDP, DVP, DNVP: protestant
• Key party in the Weimar coalitions
• 1946 Jakob Kaiser: Christian Socialism
• Christian Democratic Union
• BVP: Bavarian Volks Party -> CSU: Christian Socialist Union