SPD Hanover Congress debates revisionism, October 1899
- When
- 1899
- Where
- Hanover
- Episodes
- 1
The Social Democratic Party of Germany convened in Hanover in October 1899, where Eduard Bernstein's revisionist theories were the subject of heated discussion. Bernstein challenged orthodox Marxist predictions regarding capitalism's collapse, advocating for gradual parliamentary socialism. Although the party officially condemned his views and maintained its orthodox Erfurt Program, the congress highlighted the tension between theoretical orthodoxy and practical reformist policies.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Eduard Bernstein, a close acquaintance of Marx and Engels, was a major revisionist within the SPD. His work, particularly Evolutionary Socialism (1899), rejected Hegelian dialectics and disputed Marxist predictions of inevitable capitalist collapse and proletarian immiseration. These ideas originated from articles in Die Neue Zeit between 1896 and 1898. Bernstein's challenge to orthodox Marxism created a rift between his supporters and orthodox Marxists like Karl Kautsky.
Congress Debate. At the Hanover congress in 1899, Bernstein's theories were the subject of heated discussion. The party officially condemned his views, maintaining its orthodox Marxist Erfurt Program. However, the party's practical policies were largely reformist, reflecting the reality Bernstein described. This dichotomy between official doctrine and practical application defined the party's stance during this period.
People involved
- Eduard Bernstein · Revisionist theorist
- Karl Kautsky · Orthodox Marxist
Sources
- Eduard Bernstein Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-10
- Revisionism (Marxism) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-05-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.