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5 The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party: continuity, innovation and renewal Paul Kennedy The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español – PSOE) was founded in Madrid in 1879. It was the largest party on the left during the Second Republic (1931–36), and provided the Republic with two prime ministers during the Spanish Civil War, Francisco Largo Caballero (1936–37) and Juan Negrín (1937–39). Brutally repressed by the Franco regime (1939–75), the PSOE almost disappeared as a significant political force within Spain. Nevertheless, under the
This book considers the underlying causes of the end of social democracy's golden age. It argues that the cross-national trend in social democratic parties since the 1970s has been towards an accommodation with neo-liberalism and a corresponding dilution of traditional social democratic commitments. The book looks at the impact of the change in economic conditions on social democracy in general, before examining the specific cases of Germany, Sweden and Australia. It examines the ideological crisis that engulfed social democracy. The book also looks at the post-1970 development of social policy, its fiscal implications and economic consequences in three European countries. It considers the evolution of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from its re-emergence as a significant political force during the 1970s until the present day under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The book also examines the evolution of the Swedish model in conjunction with social democratic reformism and the party's relations to the union movement. It explores the latest debate about what the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) stands for. The SPD became the role model for programmatic modernisation for the European centre-left. The book considers how British socialist and social democratic thought from the late nineteenth century to the present has treated the objective of helping people to fulfil their potential, talents and ambitions. It aims to contribute to a broader conversation about the future of social democracy by considering ways in which the political thought of 'third way' social democracy might be radicalised for the twenty-first century.
PS Socialist Party (France)/Parti Socialiste PS Socialist Party (Portugal)/Partido Socialista PSC Social Christian Party (Belgium: French-speaking)/Parti Social Chrétien PSD Social Democratic Party (Portugal)/Partido Social Democratico PSI Socialist Party of Italy/Partito Socialista Italiano PSOE Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party/Partido Socialista Obrero Español PvdA Labour Party (Netherlands)/Partij van de Arbeid PVV Party of Liberty
in Spain and Sweden respectively difficult political and economic constraints have necessitated programmatic and strategic adaptation on the part of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and the Swedish Social Democrats (SAP) but that, like the French socialists, the PSOE and SAP have nonetheless succeeded in pursuing a recognisably social democratic course. The PSOE and the SAP, we might also note, have probably been the two most electorally successful left parties of the last thirty years. The verdicts on the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the
. Interestingly, some EU countries helped or desired concrete political outcomes during this time. Germany, for example, went as far as giving aid to Felipe Gonzalez’s political party PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) (Holmes 1983), which would go on to win Spanish national elections from 1982 to 1996. However, the EU demanded more than just political changes. Once some form of democracy had been put in place in both countries, Spain and Portugal were denied membership once again. This produced dismay in both countries, especially because it was France’s idea to postpone
