Wilhelm Liebknecht
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht (29 March 1826 – 7 August 1900) was a German
social democrat and a principal founder of the SPD
. His political career was a pioneering project combining Marxist revolutionary theory with practical, legal political activity. Under his leadership, the SPD grew from a tiny sect to became Germany's largest political party.
He was the father of Karl Liebknecht
and Theodor Liebknecht
.
as the son of Katharina Elisabeth Henrietta (née Hirsch) and Hessian
public official Ludwig Christian Liebknecht, Liebknecht grew up with relatives after the death of his parents in 1832. From 1832 to 1842, he went to school at the Gymnasium
of Gießen
, then began studying philology
, theology
and philosophy
in Gießen
, Berlin
and Marburg
. After a brush with the authorities as a result of participating in student radicalism, Liebknecht decided to emigrate to the USA.
While on the train, quite by chance, he met the headmaster of a progressive school in Zurich, Switzerland, and Liebknecht impulsively decided to accept an offer to be an unpaid teacher at that school. Thus he found himself in Switzerland in 1847 as a civil war erupted in that country. He reported these events for a German newspaper, the "Mannheim
er Abendzeitung", beginning a career in journalism that he would pursue for the following five decades.
When revolution erupted in Paris
in February 1848, Liebknecht hurried to the scene. He arrived too late to do much in Paris, but he did join a legion that was heading for Germany to instigate revolution there. In the course of that poorly planned expedition, he was arrested in Baden and charged with treason. On the eve of his trial, revolution erupted once more, and a mob secured his release. He then became a member of the Badische Volkswehr and an adjutant of Gustav von Struve and fought in the ill-fated Reichverfassungskämpfe ("federal constitution wars"). After the revolutionaries' defeat, he escaped to Switzerland
and became a leading member of the Genfer Arbeiterverein (Worker's Association of Geneva
), where he met Friedrich Engels
.
In 1850, Liebknecht was arrested for his initiatives to unite Switzerland's German workers' associations, and he was banished from the country. With few options available, like many veterans of the recently failed revolution, he moved his exile to London, where he stayed from 1850 to 1862. There he became a member of the Communist League
. During these years, he developed a lifelong friendship and collaboration with Karl Marx
. In 1862, after an amnesty for the participants in the revolution of 1848 / 1849, he returned to Germany
and became a member of Ferdinand Lassalle
's ADAV (Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein, "General German Workers' Association
"), the precursor of the SPD
.
From 1864 to 1865, Liebknecht also worked on the magazine "Der Social-Demokrat" ("the Social Democrat") published by Jean Baptista von Schweitzer
; however, he soon found himself in disagreement with the paper's friendly position toward Prussia and its new Minister-President, Otto von Bismarck
. So Liebknecht left the editorial staff and was forced to leave the ADAV due to pressure from Schweitzer. After being evicted from Berlin
by government authorities, Liebknecht moved to Leipzig
, where he met August Bebel
, with whom he founded the Sächsische Volkspartei ("Saxon People's Party") in 1867 and the SDAP
(Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, in 1869 in Eisenach
. In these years, he was elected to the national legislature, where he conducted a determined but futile opposition to Bismarck's policies. Liebknecht was also the editor of the party organ, "Der Volksstaat
" ("the People's State").
In 1870, when Bismarck provoked France into war, Liebknecht used his newspaper to agitate against the war, calling on working men on both sides of the border to unite in overthrowing the ruling class. As a result, he and Bebel were arrested and charged with high treason. It is worth noting that Liebknecht opposed the war regardless of which side started it. His call for revolutionary opposition to the war directly contradicts what his party, the SPD, would do in 1914 when World War I erupted. At that time, with Liebknecht long dead, his successors opted to back the German cause in the war.
In 1872, both Liebknecht and Bebel were convicted and sentenced to two years of Festungshaft ("imprisonment in a fortress"). This was one of sixteen times that Liebknecht's politics resulted in his conviction and incarceration.
After being re-elected into the Reichstag
in 1874, Liebknecht played a key role in the merger of the SDAP
and Lassalle's ADAV into the SAPD
(Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, "Socialist Workers' Party of Germany") in Gotha
in 1875. He also became publisher of the newly-founded party organ "Vorwärts" ("forward"), arguing for the integration of Marxist theories into the SAPD
's program in his articles.
From 1878 to 1890, the German government outlawed Liebknecht's party, but the terms of the law allowed the party to participate in elections and its elected delegates to participate in the Reichstag. Liebknecht used his position as a Reichstag member to criticize the political situation, and he combated the tendencies in his own party toward anarchism on the one hand and accommodation with Bismarck on the other. Maintaining a radical and unified stance, the SPD emerged from outlawry in 1890 with 20% of the vote in the Reichstag election.
In 1891, Liebknecht became editor-in-chief of "Vorwärts" and one of the originators of the SPD
's new Marxist-inspired party platform. Throughout that decade, he continued to serve in the Reichstag and to appear at political conventions of the SPD as a prominent referent. Despite his advanced age, he also was the most prominent leader of the Second Socialist International.
Liebknecht died on 7 August 1900 in Charlottenburg
, a suburb of Berlin
. 50,000 joined his funeral procession.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
social democrat and a principal founder of the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
. His political career was a pioneering project combining Marxist revolutionary theory with practical, legal political activity. Under his leadership, the SPD grew from a tiny sect to became Germany's largest political party.
He was the father of Karl Liebknecht
Karl Liebknecht
was a German socialist and a co-founder with Rosa Luxemburg of the Spartacist League and the Communist Party of Germany. He is best known for his opposition to World War I in the Reichstag and his role in the Spartacist uprising of 1919...
and Theodor Liebknecht
Theodor Liebknecht
Theodor Liebknecht was a German socialist politician.-Biography:Born in Leipzig in 1870 as the son of Wilhelm Liebknecht and the brother of Karl Liebknecht, Theodor Liebknecht studied law and worked as a lawyer in Berlin from 1899 on, becoming politically active after his brother's murder in...
.
Life and work
Born in GießenGießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
as the son of Katharina Elisabeth Henrietta (née Hirsch) and Hessian
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
public official Ludwig Christian Liebknecht, Liebknecht grew up with relatives after the death of his parents in 1832. From 1832 to 1842, he went to school at the Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
of Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, then began studying philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
. After a brush with the authorities as a result of participating in student radicalism, Liebknecht decided to emigrate to the USA.
While on the train, quite by chance, he met the headmaster of a progressive school in Zurich, Switzerland, and Liebknecht impulsively decided to accept an offer to be an unpaid teacher at that school. Thus he found himself in Switzerland in 1847 as a civil war erupted in that country. He reported these events for a German newspaper, the "Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
er Abendzeitung", beginning a career in journalism that he would pursue for the following five decades.
When revolution erupted in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in February 1848, Liebknecht hurried to the scene. He arrived too late to do much in Paris, but he did join a legion that was heading for Germany to instigate revolution there. In the course of that poorly planned expedition, he was arrested in Baden and charged with treason. On the eve of his trial, revolution erupted once more, and a mob secured his release. He then became a member of the Badische Volkswehr and an adjutant of Gustav von Struve and fought in the ill-fated Reichverfassungskämpfe ("federal constitution wars"). After the revolutionaries' defeat, he escaped to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and became a leading member of the Genfer Arbeiterverein (Worker's Association of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
), where he met Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
.
In 1850, Liebknecht was arrested for his initiatives to unite Switzerland's German workers' associations, and he was banished from the country. With few options available, like many veterans of the recently failed revolution, he moved his exile to London, where he stayed from 1850 to 1862. There he became a member of the Communist League
Communist League
The Communist League was the first Marxist international organization. It was founded originally as the League of the Just by German workers in Paris in 1834. This was initially a utopian socialist and Christian communist group devoted to the ideas of Gracchus Babeuf...
. During these years, he developed a lifelong friendship and collaboration with Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
. In 1862, after an amnesty for the participants in the revolution of 1848 / 1849, he returned to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and became a member of Ferdinand Lassalle
Ferdinand Lassalle
Ferdinand Lassalle was a German-Jewish jurist and socialist political activist.-Early life:Ferdinand Lassalle was born on 11 April 1825 in Breslau , Silesia to a prosperous Jewish family descending from Upper Silesian Loslau...
's ADAV (Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein, "General German Workers' Association
General German Workers' Association
The General German Workers' Association, in German Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein, ADAV) was founded on 23 May 1863 in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony by Ferdinand Lassalle and existed under this name until 1875, when it combined with August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht's SDAP to form the...
"), the precursor of the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
.
From 1864 to 1865, Liebknecht also worked on the magazine "Der Social-Demokrat" ("the Social Democrat") published by Jean Baptista von Schweitzer
Jean Baptista von Schweitzer
Jean Baptista von Schweitzer , German politician and dramatic poet, was born at Frankfurt am Main, of an old aristocratic Catholic family.He studied law in Berlin and Heidelberg, and afterwards practised in his native city...
; however, he soon found himself in disagreement with the paper's friendly position toward Prussia and its new Minister-President, Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
. So Liebknecht left the editorial staff and was forced to leave the ADAV due to pressure from Schweitzer. After being evicted from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
by government authorities, Liebknecht moved to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, where he met August Bebel
August Bebel
Ferdinand August Bebel was a German Marxist politician, writer, and orator. He is best remembered as one of the founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.-Early years:...
, with whom he founded the Sächsische Volkspartei ("Saxon People's Party") in 1867 and the SDAP
Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany, in German Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, SDAP, was a German left-wing political party founded on August 7/August 9, 1869 in Eisenach, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by, among others, Wilhelm Liebknecht and August Bebel...
(Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, in 1869 in Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
. In these years, he was elected to the national legislature, where he conducted a determined but futile opposition to Bismarck's policies. Liebknecht was also the editor of the party organ, "Der Volksstaat
Der Volksstaat
Der Volksstaat was the central organ of the German Social Democratic Workers Party . It was published in Leipzig from October 2, 1869 to September 23, 1876 under the editorship of Wilhelm Liebknecht. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels contributed to the paper and helped in editing.Source -...
" ("the People's State").
In 1870, when Bismarck provoked France into war, Liebknecht used his newspaper to agitate against the war, calling on working men on both sides of the border to unite in overthrowing the ruling class. As a result, he and Bebel were arrested and charged with high treason. It is worth noting that Liebknecht opposed the war regardless of which side started it. His call for revolutionary opposition to the war directly contradicts what his party, the SPD, would do in 1914 when World War I erupted. At that time, with Liebknecht long dead, his successors opted to back the German cause in the war.
In 1872, both Liebknecht and Bebel were convicted and sentenced to two years of Festungshaft ("imprisonment in a fortress"). This was one of sixteen times that Liebknecht's politics resulted in his conviction and incarceration.
After being re-elected into the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
in 1874, Liebknecht played a key role in the merger of the SDAP
Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany, in German Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, SDAP, was a German left-wing political party founded on August 7/August 9, 1869 in Eisenach, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by, among others, Wilhelm Liebknecht and August Bebel...
and Lassalle's ADAV into the SAPD
Socialist Workers' Party of Germany
The Socialist Workers' Party of Germany was a political party in Germany. It was formed by a left-wing party with around 20,000 members which split off from the SPD in the autumn of 1931. In 1931 the remnants of USPD merged into the party, and in 1932 some Communist Party dissenters joined the...
(Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, "Socialist Workers' Party of Germany") in Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
in 1875. He also became publisher of the newly-founded party organ "Vorwärts" ("forward"), arguing for the integration of Marxist theories into the SAPD
Socialist Workers' Party of Germany
The Socialist Workers' Party of Germany was a political party in Germany. It was formed by a left-wing party with around 20,000 members which split off from the SPD in the autumn of 1931. In 1931 the remnants of USPD merged into the party, and in 1932 some Communist Party dissenters joined the...
's program in his articles.
From 1878 to 1890, the German government outlawed Liebknecht's party, but the terms of the law allowed the party to participate in elections and its elected delegates to participate in the Reichstag. Liebknecht used his position as a Reichstag member to criticize the political situation, and he combated the tendencies in his own party toward anarchism on the one hand and accommodation with Bismarck on the other. Maintaining a radical and unified stance, the SPD emerged from outlawry in 1890 with 20% of the vote in the Reichstag election.
In 1891, Liebknecht became editor-in-chief of "Vorwärts" and one of the originators of the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
's new Marxist-inspired party platform. Throughout that decade, he continued to serve in the Reichstag and to appear at political conventions of the SPD as a prominent referent. Despite his advanced age, he also was the most prominent leader of the Second Socialist International.
Liebknecht died on 7 August 1900 in Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
, a suburb of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. 50,000 joined his funeral procession.
See also
- Karl LiebknechtKarl Liebknechtwas a German socialist and a co-founder with Rosa Luxemburg of the Spartacist League and the Communist Party of Germany. He is best known for his opposition to World War I in the Reichstag and his role in the Spartacist uprising of 1919...
- Karl MarxKarl MarxKarl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
- Social Democratic Party of GermanySocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- August BebelAugust BebelFerdinand August Bebel was a German Marxist politician, writer, and orator. He is best remembered as one of the founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.-Early years:...
Publications
- Robert BlumRobert Blumthumb|Painting by August Hunger of Robert Blum between 1845 and 1848Robert Blum was a German democratic politician, publicist, poet, publisher, revolutionist and member of the National Assembly of 1848. In his fight for a strong, unified Germany he opposed ethnocentrism and it was his strong...
und Seine Zeit, Nurnberg 1896 (German) - Ein Blick in die Neue Welt, Stuttgart, 1887
- Die Emscher Depesche oder wie Kriege gemacht werden, Nurnberg, 1895
- Robert OwenRobert OwenRobert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
: Sein Leben und sozialpolitischen Wirken, Nurnberg, 1892 - Zur Grund- und Bodenfrage, Leipzig, 1876
- Karl Marx: Biographical Memoirs, Chicago, 1906
External links
- Marxists.org archive on Wilhelm Liebknecht (selected works)