Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands

The Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (English: Social Democratic Party of Germany), often abbreviated as the SPD, was the largest and most successful social democratic party in the German Reichstag during the 19th century. Throughout its history, the SPD was often antagonized by those on the right as a result of the almost constant militant socialist revolts. The party was formed from the Deutsche Fortschrittpartei in 1860 and in fact retained most of the DFP's members among its ranks. Despite the antagonization from the right, the SPD found itself in government several times, even providing ministers such as Gustav Schwartzmann who as Minister of Justice put many militant socialists behind bars. The SPD mostly favored cooperation with the Nationalliberale Partei and the Freisinnige Vereinigung. Occassionally they worked together with the Deutschkonservative Partei.

Notable members

 * Benedict Eichwald (1860-1878)
 * Ernst von Steinburg-Rantzau (1860-1870)
 * Gustav Schwartzmann (1860-1875)
 * Karl Reitter (1880-)
 * Konrad Grüber (1885-)
 * Konstantin Brenner (1875-)
 * Ludwig von Märchenlied (1875-)
 * Lutz von Sommer (1860-1867)
 * Roman Peters (1875-)
 * Thomas Dunkel (1870-1875)
 * Wilhelm Jakob Leibl (1880-1882)

Charity works
One of the main pillars of the SPD was supporting the working people of Germany. In order to do this they were responsible for several social initiatives and charty works. Notable examples include:


 * Organised soup kitchens in Berlin
 * The construction and funding of orphanages and social gathering clubs
 * Reconstruction efforts after times of war
 * Yearly Christmas and New Years receptions and meal distributions