August Bebel summary

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August Bebel, (born Feb. 22, 1840, Deutz, near Cologne, Ger.—died Aug. 13, 1913, Passugg, Switz.), German socialist and writer. A turner by trade, Bebel joined the Leipzig Workers’ Educational Association (1861) and became its chairman (1865). Influenced by the ideas of Wilhelm Liebknecht, in 1869 he helped found the Social Democratic Labour Party (later the Social Democratic Party) and became its most influential and popular leader for more than 40 years. He served in the Reichstag in 1867, 1871–81, and 1883–1913. He spent a total of nearly five years in prison on such charges as “libel of Bismarck.” He wrote a number of works, including Woman and Socialism (1883), a powerful piece of Social Democratic propaganda.

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