He wishes especially to acknowledge his obligations to the following gentlemen: Mr. Graham Wallas of the University of London; Mr. W.G. Towler of the London Municipal Society; Mr. John Hobson of London, and Mr. J.S. Middleton, assistant secretary of the Labor Party; to Dr. Robert Herz and Prof. Charles Gide of the University of Paris; Dr. Albert Thomas and M. Adolphe Landry of the Chamber of Deputies; M. Jean Longuet, editor of _L'Humanité_; to Dr. Franz Oppenheimer of the University of Berlin; Dr. Südekum of the Reichstag; Dr. Hilferding, editor of _Vorwärts_; Prof. T.H. Norton, American Consul at Chemnitz; M. Camille Huysmans, secretary of the "International," Brussels; as well as to many American friends for providing letters of introduction which opened many useful and congenial doorways. S.P.O. January, 1913. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. WHY DOES SOCIALISM EXIST? 1 II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIALISM 17 III. The Political Awakening of Socialism--The Period of Revolution 42 IV. THE POLITICAL AWAKENING OF SOCIALISM--THE INTERNATIONAL 56 V. THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF FRANCE 75 VI. THE BELGIAN LABOR PARTY 118 VII. THE GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRACY 146 VIII. GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRACY AND LABOR UNIONS 171 IX. THE ENGLISH LABOR PARTY 207 X. CONCLUSION 250 APPENDIX 273 INDEX 347 SOCIALISM AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION--WHY DOES SOCIALISM EXIST? The answer to this question will bring us nearer to the core of the social movement than any attempted definition. The French Socialist program begins with the assertion, "Socialism is a question of class." Class distinction is the generator of Socialism. The ordinary social triptych--upper, middle, and lower classes--will not suffice us in our inquiry. We must distinguish between the functions of the classes. The upper class is a remnant of the feudal days, of the manorial times, when land-holding brought with it social distinction and political prerogative. In this sense we have no upper class in America. The middle class is composed of the business and professional element, and the lower class of the wage-earning element.