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Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Abbreviation SPD
General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf
Co-leaders
  • Bärbel Bas
  • Lars Klingbeil
Deputy Leaders
Founded 27 May 1875; 150 years ago (1875-05-27)
Merger of
  • ADAV
  • SDAP
    In 1990:
  • SPD-DDR
Headquarters Willy-Brandt-Haus
D-10911 Berlin
Newspaper Vorwärts
Think tank Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Student wing Juso-Hochschulgruppen
Youth wing Young Socialists in the SPD
Women's wing Association of Social Democratic Women
LGBT+ wing SPDqueer
Paramilitary wing Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold (1924–33)
Membership (2024) Decrease 365,190
Ideology Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
European affiliation Party of European Socialists
International affiliation Progressive Alliance
Socialist International (1951–2017)
European Parliament group Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Colours      Red
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State parliaments
453 / 1,894
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Heads of State Governments
7 / 16
Party flag
Flag of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.svg
Website
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The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) is a major political party in Germany. It believes in social democracy, which means it works for a fair and equal society.

Lars Klingbeil has been a co-leader of the party since 2021, and Bärbel Bas joined him as co-leader in June 2025. After the 2025 German federal election, the SPD became a junior partner in the German government, working with the CDU/CSU party. The SPD is also part of many state governments across Germany.

History of the SPD Party

The SPD was formed in 1875 when smaller socialist groups joined together. It grew quickly, becoming the largest socialist party in Western Europe by 1933.

Early Years and Growth

Reichstagsfraktion1889
SPD members in Reichstag 1889. Sitting from left to right: Georg Schumacher, Friedrich Harm, August Bebel, Heinrich Meister and Karl Frohme. Standing: Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Dietz, August Kühn, Wilhelm Liebknecht, Karl Grillenberger, and Paul Singer.

The SPD started from groups like the General German Workers' Association (1863) and the Social Democratic Workers' Party (1869). These groups merged in 1875 to form the Socialist Workers' Party of Germany. Even though laws tried to stop socialist ideas from spreading between 1878 and 1890, the party still gained support. In 1890, when the ban was lifted, the party took its current name, the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

Before World War I, the SPD was a strong voice for workers' rights. In the 1912 German federal election, the SPD won the most votes and became the largest party in the Reichstag, which was like Germany's parliament back then.

World War I and the Weimar Republic

When World War I started in 1914, the SPD supported Germany's war efforts. This caused a split within the party, as some members disagreed with the war. Those who opposed the war formed a new group.

The SPD played a big part in the German Revolution of 1918–1919. On November 9, 1918, Friedrich Ebert, a leading SPD member, became chancellor. Germany was then declared a republic. The SPD government quickly introduced many reforms, giving people more civil liberties and labor rights. Friedrich Ebert later became the first president of Germany in 1919. The SPD was the largest party during the first 13 years of the new Weimar Republic.

Facing the Nazis and Post-War Rebirth

Three Arrows election poster of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, 1932 - Gegen Papen, Hitler, Thälmann
A widely publicized SPD election poster from 1932, with the Three Arrows symbol representing resistance against reactionary conservatism, Nazism and Communism, and with the slogan "Against Papen, Hitler, Thälmann"

When the Nazi Party came to power, the SPD was the only party in the Reichstag to vote against the Enabling Act of 1933. This act gave Adolf Hitler special powers. After this, the SPD was banned, and many of its members were arrested or had to flee the country. The party continued to operate in exile.

After World War II ended in 1945, the SPD was re-established in West Germany. In East Germany, it was forced to merge with the Communist Party. In West Germany, the SPD became one of the two main political parties. In 1959, the SPD changed its program to appeal to a wider range of voters, becoming a more central party.

Leading Germany and Recent Times

SPD Mitgliederentwicklung
SPD membership statistics (in thousands) since 1945. Despite heavy losses since 1990, the SPD is still the second largest party in Germany.

The SPD has led the German government several times:

The SPD has also been a junior partner in governments led by other parties. In 1990, the East German SPD joined with the West German party just before Germany was reunified.

In the 2024 European Parliament election in Germany, the SPD came in third place. In December 2024, the government coalition led by Olaf Scholz ended. The SPD then entered the 2025 German federal election and became the third-largest party.

What the SPD Believes In

SPD Plakat Godesberger Programm 1959
Poster for the 1959 SPD party conference in Bad Godesberg

The SPD believes in democratic socialism, which means they want a society where everyone has freedom and social justice. They aim for a society where people can live without being exploited or oppressed.

Here are some of their main ideas:

  • Economy: They support a social market economy that helps everyone. They believe the economy should be strong and its benefits shared fairly among all people.
  • Welfare State: The SPD supports a strong welfare state, which means the government helps people with things like healthcare, education, and unemployment benefits.
  • Finances: They believe in careful spending by the government, trying to avoid too much debt.
  • Social Issues: The SPD supports civil and political rights for everyone in an open society.
  • Foreign Policy: They want to ensure global peace and believe in European integration, meaning countries in Europe should work closely together. During Olaf Scholz's time as chancellor, the party also focused on a new German defense policy.
  • Economic Rules: The SPD supports rules for the economy to protect banks and people from big financial losses. They also want a common European economic policy to help the environment and prevent financial problems.

Different Views Within the Party

The SPD has different groups within it. Some members, called "Keynesian social democrats," believe in more government spending to help the economy. Others, known as "Third Way" or "moderate social democrats," support more market-friendly policies. These groups sometimes have different ideas about how much the government should be involved in the economy and social programs.

Where the SPD Gets Its Support

The SPD gets a lot of support from large cities, especially in northern and western Germany, and in Berlin. Many of Germany's biggest cities have SPD mayors. The Ruhr Area, which used to be a big industrial region, has been a strong base for the SPD for a long time. The city of Bremen has been governed by the SPD since 1949.

In southern Germany, the SPD usually has less support, except in the very largest cities. However, in the 2021 German federal election, the party gained more votes in the states that were once part of East Germany.

Important Leaders of the SPD

The SPD has a federal leader, who is supported by six Deputy Leaders and a party executive committee. As of 2025, the co-leaders are Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil. Each German state also has its own SPD party.

Party Leaders

Leader Year
1 Kurt Schumacher 1946–1952
2 Erich Ollenhauer 1952–1963
3 Willy Brandt 1964–1987
4 Hans-Jochen Vogel 1987–1991
5 Björn Engholm 1991–1993
6 Rudolf Scharping 1993–1995
7 Oskar Lafontaine 1995–1999
8 Gerhard Schröder 1999–2004
9 Franz Müntefering (1st term) 2004–2005
10 Matthias Platzeck 2005–2006
11 Kurt Beck 2006–2008
12
(9)
Franz Müntefering (2nd term) 2008–2009
13 Sigmar Gabriel 2009–2017
14 Martin Schulz 2017–2018
15 Andrea Nahles 2018–2019
16 Saskia Esken &
Norbert Walter-Borjans
2019–2021
17 Saskia Esken & Lars Klingbeil 2021–2025
18 Bärbel Bas & Lars Klingbeil 2025–present

Leaders in the Bundestag

Leader Year
1 Kurt Schumacher 1949–1952
2 Erich Ollenhauer 1952–1963
3 Fritz Erler 1964–1967
4 Helmut Schmidt 1967–1969
5 Herbert Wehner 1969–1983
6 Hans-Jochen Vogel 1983–1991
7 Hans-Ulrich Klose 1991–1994
8 Rudolf Scharping 1994–1998
9 Peter Struck (1st term) 1998–2002
10 Ludwig Stiegler 2002
11 Franz Müntefering 2002–2005
(9) Peter Struck (2nd term) 2005–2009
12 Frank-Walter Steinmeier 2009–2013
13 Thomas Oppermann 2013–2017
14 Andrea Nahles 2017–2019
15 Rolf Mützenich 2019–2025
16 Lars Klingbeil 2025
17 Matthias Miersch 2025-present

Federal Presidents

Gustav Heinemann 1969–1974
Johannes Rau 1999–2004
Frank-Walter Steinmeier 2017–present

Federal Chancellors

Chancellor of Germany Time in office
Willy Brandt 1969–1974
Helmut Schmidt 1974–1982
Gerhard Schröder 1998–2005
Olaf Scholz 2021–2025

Vice Chancellors

Vice Chancellor of Germany Time in office
Willy Brandt 1966–1969
Egon Franke 1982
Franz Müntefering 2005–2007
Frank-Walter Steinmeier 2007–2009
Sigmar Gabriel 2013–2018
Olaf Scholz 2018–2021
Lars Klingbeil 2025-present

State-Level Leaders

State Leader Seats Government
Baden-Württemberg Andreas Stoch
19 / 154
Opposition
Bavaria Ronja Endres
17 / 203
Opposition
Berlin Franziska Giffey &
Raed Saleh
34 / 147
CDU–SPD
Brandenburg Dietmar Woidke
32 / 88
SPD–BSW
Bremen Falk-Constantin Wagner [de]
27 / 87
SPD–Greens–Left
Hamburg Melanie Leonhard
53 / 123
SPD–Greens
Hesse Sören Bartol
23 / 133
CDU–SPD
Lower Saxony Stephan Weil
57 / 146
SPD–Greens
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Manuela Schwesig
34 / 79
SPD–Left
North Rhine-Westphalia Thomas Kutschaty
56 / 195
Opposition
Rhineland-Palatinate Roger Lewentz
39 / 101
SPD–Greens–FDP
Saarland Anke Rehlinger
29 / 51
Majority
Saxony Kathrin Michel &
Henning Homann [de]
10 / 120
CDU–SPD
Saxony-Anhalt Juliane Kleemann [de] &
Andreas Schmidt [de]
9 / 97
CDU–SPD–FDP
Schleswig-Holstein Serpil Midyatli
12 / 69
Opposition
Thuringia Georg Maier
6 / 88
SPD–BSW–CDU

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Partido Socialdemócrata de Alemania para niños

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