About
Wilhelm Liebknecht (1826-1900) was a pioneer of German social democracy. Orphaned, he studied philology, theology, and philosophy before participating in the revolutions of 1848. Exiled in London from 1850 to 1862, he became a close associate of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Returning to Germany, he co-founded the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) in 1869 with August Bebel, a precursor to the SPD. Opposed to the Franco-Prussian War, he was convicted of high treason in 1872. He played a key role in unifying socialists at Gotha in 1875 and edited the newspaper Vorwärts. He served as a Reichstag deputy from 1867 to 1900 and co-founded the Second International in 1889.
* 1826-03-28 — † 1900-08-07
Major works
- Zur Grund- und Bodenfrage (1876)political work
- Ein Blick in die neue Welt (1887)work
- Geschichte der französischen Revolution (1890)history
- Robert Owen (1892)biography
- Karl Marx: Biographical Memoirs (1906)biography
Key milestones
- 1869Co-founded the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) at Eisenach with August Bebel.
- 1875Played a key role in the Gotha unity congress, merging the SDAP and the ADAV.
- 1889Co-founded and co-chaired the Second International at its founding congress in Paris.
Themes
Democratic socialismWorking-class unityOpposition to warWorkers' rightsInternationalism
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordreference.com · marxists.org