Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/350

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SOCIALISM. ^96 SOCIALISM. resent the dominant Marxian socialism. The more conservative opportunism is represented by the Socialistische Momitshel'te, published in Ber- lin. Special mention may be made also of two illustrated comic papers, which advocate social democracy, namely Der uahrc Jacob and Der sikldpiitsche Postilion. In 1903 there were fifty- two daily papers, nine appearing three times a week, three semi-weekly, and seven weekly papers all advocating socialism. Austria. In Austria we find a verj' different condition of tilings from that which exists in Germany. Social democracy was later in gain- ing a foothold in Austria, and its growth has been far slower. Of late, however, the party has largely increased in numbers under the leadership of Dr. Victor .dler, who is a Marxian Socialist. The chief organ is the daily Wiener Arhciter Zeitung, which claims a circulation of 40.000. There are in addition over twenty Socialist or- gans in the Empire. In 1903 the Socialists had ten seats in the Reichsrath. Hungary. A labor party strongly influenced by the followers of Lassalle was formed in Hun- gary in 1808. The Marxians gained the upper hand during the following decade, however, but dur- ing the eighties the anarchists were a disturbing factor. They have, however, been reduced to insig- nificance, and social democracy is making ad- vances in this kingdom as elsewhere. During the last decade of the nineteenth century the agita- tion w-as extended to the agricultural classes. Denmark. In Deimiark the influence of the social democracy is comparable to that of the same party in Germany, but. owing to the minor role of Denmark in world politics, the party has attracted little attention. The social-democratic agitation began in the early seventies, but it was under dishonest leadership and the result was a collapse and temporary reaction. During the past ten years, however, there has been a very rapid growth of social democracy under Marxist leaders. In 1898 the Social Democrats polled approximately 32,000 votes, electing twelve Deputies. At the election in 1903, the Socialists elected sixteen members, polled 55,479 votes, and almost wiped the Conservative Party out of existence. The daily organ in Copenhagen, called the Social Demokraten. claims a circulation of 45,000, which is said to be larger than the circulation of any other paper in Denmark. One of the nota- ble features of social democracy in Denmark is its participation in the trades union and coopera- tive movements, the latter of which has made very rapid progress. Norway. The social-democratic agitation in Korway has made slow progress, and it has not as yet played a prominent part in political life. In 1901 the Socialist Party polled some 7000 votes in the Storthing elections. In the same year the Socialists claimed 150 organizations with nearly 11,000 members. Their chief polit- ical successes have been achieved in municipal elections. Sweden. In Sweden social democracy has made considerable progress in recent years and has exerci.sed marked influence upon the labor movement. Owing to a property qualification for the suffrage, however, they have succeeded in electing only one member of the national Par- liament. The Social Democratic Party was for- mally organized in Sweden in 1899. The pro- gramme was Marxist in character and closely re- sembled that of the German Social Democracy. Switzerland. In Switzerland, owing to the success of political and social reforms, the social democratic agitation has found a barren field. In 1902 the Social Democrats elected six mem- bers of the National Council, and a few Social Democratic members have been elected to the cantonal legislatures and municipal councils. The Social Democrats have, however, exercised considerable influence upon other political par- ties. Italy. The poverty and ignorance of the masses of the Italian population and the impul- siveness of their character seemed to favor at first the growth of anarchism rather than of so- cialism. Under the influence of Bakunin, an anarchistic agitation was started in 1872. The social democratic agitation began in the seventies, but it became powerful only during the last decade of the nineteenth century, having gradually succeeded, with the help of the Gov- ernment, in superseding anarchism, which is still f. troul}lpsome factor. The socialistic vote rose from 70.400 in 1890 to 175.000 in 1900, and the number of Deputies from 5 in 1893 to 33 in the last year mentioned. The Socialist press con- sists of one daily newspaper, Avanti, and a large number of periodicals appearing less frequently. A monthly, La critica sociale, and a fortnightly, II socialismo, are among the most prominent of these periodicals. In Ital.v. as in so many other countries, we find two tendencies among the Socialists: the op- portunist tendency, favoring compromise meas- ures and seeking cooperation of non-socialists, and the orthodox Marxian tendency, uncompro- mising, pursuing the ultimate goal, and with little faith in reform measures which imply the continued existence of the present industrial society. Sp.iN. Social democracy eiTected an organiza- tion in 1882. During the past ten years the Social Democratic Labor Party has made progress and it has advanced, while anarchism, which first gained a foothold in Spain about 1870, has on the whole receded. The number of votes increased between 1891 and 1901 from approximately 5000 to over 25.000. No Socialists have as yet been elected to the Cortes, but in several cities they have succeeded in placing adherents in the mu- nicipal councils, achieving their greatest success in Bilboa. Their principal effort in recent years seems to have been to gain control of the labor organizations, and in this they have met with a considerable measure of success. Holland. The early Socialist agitators in Hol- land came from Belgium and founded a section of the International Workingmen's Association in 1868. The present Socialist activity is direct- ly connected with the agitation begun in 1879 by Ferdinand Domela-Nieuwenhuis. who founded a socialist society, which soon fell under an- archist influence and showed a strong inclination to favor extreme and violent measures. The more conservative Socialists organized a Social Democratic Party upon a ^Marxian basis in 1S94, and this party has gradually gained a dominant position among Socialists, the old organization led by Domela-Nieuwenhuis having dwindled to insignificance: the anarchistic ele- ment has been practically extinguished.