Germany 1892

Synopsis

The decade from 1890 to 1900 was a crucial period of redevelopment in the German labor movement. Following the repeal of the Anti-Socialist Law in 1890, workers had more freedom to organize for economic and political purposes. The form and direction that the labor movement should take, however, was uncertain. In particular, the trade unions, which had been an important source of working-class organization during the years when organizing had been illegal, stood at a crossroads. The trade unionist Carl Legien argued that a centralized union movement, independent from the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), was needed. The 1892 National Congress of German Trade Unions accepted Legien's plans and led to the official establishment of a national trade union organization. The relationship between the trade unions and the SPD, however, continued to be a source of tension. The direction taken...