568 



The Review of Reviews. 



SOCIALISM AND LABOUR. 



GERMAN SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. 



A WRITER in La Revue of October 15th, M. 

 Faul Louis, considers the moment opportune to 

 examine the conditions of present-day Socialism 

 in Germany. 



CO-OPERATION OF WOMEN. 



The first part of his article is devoted to 

 statistics, which show that, numerically speak- 

 ing, German Social Democracy is the most 

 vigorous Socialist party in the world. The 

 writer is much struck by the relative importance 

 of the feminine element in the party. From the 

 outset the leaders have realised that the party 

 could not be powerful unless it included within 

 the fold men and women and youth. It is found 

 that when a woman joins a party she attends its 

 meetings and meets her friends there, and she 

 has not the desire to keep her husband at home 

 and prevent him taking part in political activity. 

 But that is only one reason for spreading the 

 propaganda among women. Of what use is a 

 proletarian movement in which half the prole- 

 tariate remains indifferent, and that half the 

 worst remunerated? Young boys and girls are 

 carefully instructed in the Socialist doctrines by 

 orators — one is almost tempted to say special 

 professors — who, in the large cities, give regular 

 courses and teach the essential facts. Moreover, 

 the party runs eighty journals to spread the 

 light. 



WHAT HAS BEEN GAINED. 



What is the value of the action of German 

 Social Democracy, and is this action propor- 

 tionate to the vigour of its growth? In the 

 Reichstag the rSle of the Social Democrats con- 

 sists in demanding the widest extension of public 

 liberty and the liberty of workers — the right of 

 coalition, the right to strike, the right to think, 

 write, hold meetings- — but more especially the 

 right to spread their propaganda without 

 reserve. While they defend the liberties which 

 they have acquired, denounce the authoritative- 

 ness of the Sovereign and the Ministry, and 

 propose Constitutional modifications which will 

 increase the prerogatives of those elected by the 

 people and reduce those of the executive, their 

 desire is to better the conditions of labour, to 

 obtain legislation to prevent unemployment and 

 any other scourge which threatens the working 

 classes. The party wages a constant campaign 

 against armaments, Pan-Germanism, and 

 colonial imperialism. 



FUTURE OF THE MOVEMENT. 



During the last forty years the temperament 

 of the German people has been transformed ; 

 the critical sense has been developed, and a 



consciousness of class has grown up among the 

 workers, making them regard themselves more 

 and more as a nation. Even the army has lost 

 its prestige and war is no longer a national 

 industry. Yet it is true that the more positive 

 and precise results of Socialism are still awaited. 

 So far its attitude has been more defensive than 

 offensive. Notwithstanding its no Deputies in 

 the Reichstag and 4J millions of electors, it has 

 not succeeded in imposing on that assembly a 

 single legislative decision which would be a step 



Walne Jacob.] 



More Population. 



Stutt«;at. 



A German view of how all the governing classes exhort the 

 German peasant to increase his family. 



towards the solution of its own programme. In 

 Germany the question is being asked, Shall the 

 Social Democratic Party hold to its old methods, 

 or shall it have recourse to new ones, perhaps 

 more dangerous and audacious, but more capable 

 of achieving immediate results? There are many 

 indications that Social Democracy is taking 

 account of the peril of its present limited action. 

 The intellectual labour which is at work in it, 

 and the desire for its repression expressed in 

 Government circles after the last election, 

 together with the reinforcement of employers' 



