SPD model and Bowling for Fascism: Social Capital and the Rise of the Nazi Party

[Die Neue Zeit]

I've stated before and again that There Is No Alternative to the pre-WWI SPD model for left politics and organizing the "alternative culture."

Well, look at a historic enemy par excellence of the left:

Bowling for Fascism: Social Capital and the Rise of the Nazi Party (http://www.nber.org/papers/w19201)


We collect new data on the density of associations in 229 German towns and cities. Denser networks of clubs and societies went hand-in-hand with a more rapid rise of the Nazi Party. Towns with one standard deviation higher association density saw at least 15% faster Nazi Party entry.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

Honestly curious, if the pre-WW1 SPD model was so good, why did half of the party end up supporting imperialist war? The moment there was crises, it seemed that the SPD floundered.

[The Idler]

There are always alternatives. There is no alternative (TINA) is a deeply reactionary unscientific approach to organising. There were good things about the pre-WWI SPD, their differences from the Bolshevik model in particular.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Honestly curious, if the pre-WW1 SPD model was so good, why did half of the party end up supporting imperialist war? The moment there was crises, it seemed that the SPD floundered.

There was a really bad decision in the Mannheim Congress of 1906 that let the trade unions have veto power over party decisions. Secretly, the SPD became more like the UK Labour Party, a party "based on the trade unions," than its "continental party" origins (i.e., a thoroughly left party that is based purely on membership).

Lots of tred-iunionisty were social-chauvinists who backed the war.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

There was a really bad decision in the Mannheim Congress of 1906 that let the trade unions have veto power over party decisions. Secretly, the SPD became more like the UK Labour Party, a party "based on the trade unions," than its "continental party" origins (i.e., a thoroughly left party that is based purely on membership).

Lots of tred-iunionisty were social-chauvinists who backed the war.
Yes, I know the the failures of the trade union bureaucrats - half the so-called revolutionary syndicalists ended up supporting the war in their individual countries. But that doesn't explain the parliamentary SPD voting for war credits or expelling the anti-war membership. Did the trade unions truly have such power over the party?

[Die Neue Zeit]

Yes, I know the the failures of the trade union bureaucrats - half the so-called revolutionary syndicalists ended up supporting the war in their individual countries. But that doesn't explain the parliamentary SPD voting for war credits or expelling the anti-war membership. Did the trade unions truly have such power over the party?

Unfortunately, yes. The notorious Friedrich Ebert had a tred-iunionisty background.