Communist Party of Germany

:This article deals with the original KPD. For information on later groups using the same name, see Communist Party of Germany (disambiguation).

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The Communist Party of Germany (in German, Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands – KPD) was formed in December of 1918 from the Spartacist League, which originated as a small factional grouping within the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the International Communists of Germany (IKD). Both factions were opposed to the First World War on the grounds that it was an imperialist war in which the working class had no interest. The Spartacist League was led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht who were murdered in January 1919. The organisation split more or less in half, with the IKD faction forming the Communist Workers Party of Germany (KAPD) in April 1920. During the Nazi period, the KPD was brutally suppressed, and known sympathizers were sent to concentration camps as a part of the Holocaust. After World War II, the Soviet occupation authority forced the KPD and SPD organizations in their sphere of influence to merge into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), which they installed as the government of East Germany. Following German reunification, the SED became the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), which is still a force in German politics today, especially in the east.

Related Topics:
German - 1918 - Spartacist League - Social Democratic Party - International Communists of Germany - First World War - Rosa Luxemburg - Karl Liebknecht - 1919 - Communist Workers Party of Germany - April - 1920 - Nazi - Concentration camps - Holocaust - World War II - Soviet - Sphere of influence - Socialist Unity Party of Germany - East Germany - German reunification - Party of Democratic Socialism

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