Stuttgart Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
- When
- 1898
- Where
- Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg
- Episodes
- 1
The Stuttgart Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany took place from October 3 to 8, 1898. It was the first congress to discuss revisionism, featuring a statement from exiled Eduard Bernstein. Karl Kautsky and August Bebel critiqued Bernsteinism, and although no resolution was adopted, the party majority opposed the faction.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The Social Democratic Party of Germany had grown rapidly after the lifting of Germany's repressive Anti-Socialist Laws in 1890, becoming the largest socialist party in Western Europe. The Stuttgart Congress was held in the Kingdom of Württemberg, now Germany, from October 3 to 8, 1898.
Revisionism Debate. The Stuttgart Congress was the first to discuss the question of revisionism in the SPD. A statement sent by Eduard Bernstein, who was exiled, was read to the Congress. Karl Kautsky and August Bebel made an initial critique of Bernsteinism, marking a significant ideological confrontation within the party.
Congress Outcome. The Congress did not adopt a resolution on the matter of revisionism. Despite the division in how to treat the question of Bernsteinism, the majority of the party showed its opposition to it. This outcome set the stage for future formal condemnations of Bernsteinist attacks on party policy.
People involved
- Eduard Bernstein · Exiled member whose statement was read
- Karl Kautsky · Critic of Bernsteinism
- August Bebel · Critic of Bernsteinism
Sources
- Stuttgart Congress Wikipedia, revision of 2026-02-21
- Social Democratic Party of Germany Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-11
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.