Honors Theses and Capstones
Date of Award
Spring 2023
Project Type
Senior Honors Thesis
College or School
COLA
Department
History
Program or Major
History
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
First Advisor
Janet Polasky
Second Advisor
Kurk Dorsey
Third Advisor
Jessica Lepler
Abstract
The outbreak of World War I tore apart the Second Socialist International (1889-1914) as the forces of nationalism overcame international solidarity. By 1917, the global socialist movement was split between reformist social democracy and revolutionary communism. Before this dramatic schism, tensions between a reformist right, a radical left, and a moderate center defined the contours of social democratic politics. Contemporary to the Second International, imperialism and competition between the great powers represented a global crisis that exploded into a worldwide conflict. While not initially responsible for the schisms that tore apart the Second International, debates over imperialism reflected, reconfigured, and exacerbated existing political and theoretical divisions within social democracy. This paper analyzes these social democratic debates over imperialism between the International Socialist Congress at Stuttgart in 1907 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914 while taking the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) as its model.
Recommended Citation
Taylor, Luke P., "Weltpolitik und Weltkrieg: Second International Socialism and Imperialism (1907-1914)" (2023). Honors Theses and Capstones. 753.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/753
Included in
European History Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Labor History Commons, Political History Commons, Social History Commons