'Reform or Revolution', redux: Eduard Bernstein on the 1918-19 German Revolution (original) (raw)

The following is the text of an article accepted for publication in Historical Research (27 October 2021). Please do not cite, copy, share, or distribute in any other way. The 1918-19 German Revolution forced an abrupt moment of decision among German socialists in the question of ‘social reform or revolution’. This article traces the arguments of Eduard Bernstein, the founder of ‘reformism’, on the lessons Social Democracy should draw from the events of the Revolution and the transition from Kaiserreich to the Weimar Republic. It argues that Bernstein makes significant advances on his early reformism in his post-Revolution writings, and explores his refinement of the concept of ‘revolution’ as well as his critique of Bolshevism and the USSR as a new ideological rival within the socialist movement.