Ferdinand Lassalle founds the ADAV

Background. In late 1862, a committee of Leipzig workers approached Ferdinand Lassalle, disillusioned with the liberal Progressives' refusal to support universal suffrage or grant them full membership in the Nationalverein. Lassalle responded with his Open Letter to the Central Committee for the Convening of a General German Workers' Congress in March 1863. This document became the founding basis for the ADAV, establishing a new workers' movement distinct from liberal politics.

Founding of the ADAV. The General German Workers' Association was established in Leipzig on 23 May 1863. Approximately 600 workers from across Germany traveled to the foundation via the new railway. The organization was formed by Lassalle and twelve delegates from cities including Barmen, Dresden, and Frankfurt am Main. It is recognized as the first organized mass working-class party in history, with Lassalle serving as president for a five-year term.

Lassalle's Presidency. Ferdinand Lassalle acted as the president of the ADAV from its founding in May 1863 until his death in August 1864. His leadership style was characterized as demagogic rather than democratic. During this period, he delivered influential lectures and speeches, including at Frankfurt and Ronsdorf, and authored polemical works attacking economic rivals while popularizing concepts of capital and labor.