Where Is the SPD Going? The German Social Democrats and the Way out of Crisis
Whether we think of France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria or Germany, the social democratic or socialist parties in Europe are losing ground or even facing dissolution. Ironically, the crisis of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) began with the resounding victory of Gerhard Schröder in 1998.
According to commentators, the SPD has gone from bad to worse ever since. The signals are indeed alarming: a 50 percent loss in party memberships, an important decrease in elected representatives, never-ending articles predicting the imminent death of the party, either delighted or regretful.
This text intends to review the Schröder era and the evolution of the SPD in the shadow of federal Chancellor Angela Merkel from the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). A third chapter will examine the means by which the party is trying to rebuild itself during the current election campaigns.
Etienne Dubslaff is a lecturer in the German Studies Department at the Paul-Valéry University Montpellier 3 and member of the Research and Studies Center on Germany CREG -EA4151.
>> This article is available only in French : Où va le SPD ? Les sociaux-démocrates et la sortie de crise(s).
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