Gotha Program

German history

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June 29, 2026

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The Gotha Program was a statement of principles adopted by the Socialist Labour Party of Germany in 1875. This program represented a compromise between two socialist factions: the Eisenach group, led by Wilhelm Liebknecht and August Bebel, and the Lassallean General German Workers' Association.12

The Gotha Program advocated for universal suffrage, a free people's state, and government-aided productive associations. However, Karl Marx criticized the program for its perceived concessions to the state and its less revolutionary stance compared to his own theories. The program was a significant step in the development of German social democracy, aiming for a transition to socialism through established political processes rather than revolution. It served as the party's charter until the adoption of the Erfurt Program in 1891, which embraced a more explicitly Marxist platform.123

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Wilhelm Liebknecht
The Gotha Program, a compromise between the positions of the two parties—although criticized by Marx for its call for government-aided productive organizations—remained the charter of German socialism until the adoption of the Erfurt Program in 1891, which discarded the state-aid provisions of the Gotha Congress and…
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The Gotha Program, a compromise between the positions of the two parties—although criticized by Marx for its call for government-aided productive organizations—remained the charter of German socialism until the adoption of the Erfurt Program in 1891, which discarded the state-aid provisions of the Gotha Congress and…
Read More