History Of The Social Democratic Party Of Germany
The foundation of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (German: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD) can be traced back to the 1860s and for much of the 20th and 21st centuries it has represented the centre-left in German politics. The SPD has had several spells in government, first under Friedrich Ebert in 1918. The party was outlawed in Nazi Germany but returned to government, in 1969, with Willy Brandt. Meanwhile, the East German branch of the SPD merged with the ruling KPD. In the modern Federal Republic of Germany, the SPD is the main opposition to the CDU and was last in office, under Gerhard Schröder, between 1998 and 2005.
Read more about History Of The Social Democratic Party Of Germany: The Merkel-led Grand Coalition
Famous quotes containing the words history of the, history of, history, social, democratic, party and/or germany:
“The foregoing generations beheld God and nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? Why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a religion by revelation to us, and not the history of theirs?”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
—Karl Marx (18181883)
“Psychology keeps trying to vindicate human nature. History keeps undermining the effort.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Despair, feeding, as it always does, on phantasmagoria, is imperturbably leading literature to the rejection, en masse, of all divine and social laws, towards practical and theoretical evil.”
—Isidore Ducasse, Comte de Lautréamont (18461870)
“The Democratic Party is like a mule. It has neither pride of ancestry nor hope of posterity.”
—Ignatius Donnelly (18311901)
“In inner-party politics, these methods lead, as we shall yet see, to this: the party organization substitutes itself for the party, the central committee substitutes itself for the organization, and, finally, a dictator substitutes himself for the central committee.”
—Leon Trotsky (18791940)
“If Germany is to become a colonising power, all I say is, God speed her! She becomes our ally and partner in the execution of the great purposes of Providence for the advantage of mankind.”
—W.E. (William Ewart)