Ideas Of Press Freedom Of Social Democrats In The Period Of The Second International 1889-1914

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, under the historical background idea of press freedom was increasingly deeply rooted in public’s mind while labor movements were surging up one after another, the Second International gone with the tide of democracy to keep up fight with despotic regimes and various types of antisocialist laws devoted much effort to trying to suppress freedom of the press, especially those publications stemming from the working class or with a socialist orientation. Whether under the illegal or legal conditions, social democrats all carried a banner of freedom of the press in the end, and made a real contribution to realization of equal and general press freedom. Along two main lines of social freedom (press freedom in society) and inner-party freedom (press freedom within the parties), this paper makes an in-depth case study around leading figures and member parties which are the two components of the Second International on the basis of overall discussing the social democrats’ideas of press freedom.Through comprehensive analysis on social democrats’ideas and practice of press freedom, this dissertation finds that, for the social democrats, a free press was viewed as a prerequisite for survival of workers’parties and development of labor movements. The social democrats made their efforts to influence media policy formulation and promote press legislation by establishment press, demonstrations, parliamentary activities and so forth, and made demands for equal press freedom clearly and insisted on fighting for freedom of the press and defending the right both inside and outside the labor parties. They seek formal freedom as well as substantive freedom.When giving an insight into leaders of the Second International’s thought of freedom of the press, this dissertation selects thought leader of the Second International Friedrich Engels, and Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Kautsky and Eduard Bernstein as the representatives of the left, middle and right wing leaders respectively. Through a profound analysis of the four figures, the findings show that they have same understanding of freedom of the press on the whole and all strongly oppose to any repression and abolition of press freedom, advocate freedom of the press in society and within their parties before proletariat seized state power and after the seizure of power.Meanwhile, take the case of German Social Democratic Party (SPD) and after a probing analysis, this paper argues that whether during the period of the Anti-Socialist Law or after the period of the Anti-Socialist law, SPD which had a pre-eminent position in the Second International could adhere to the principle of freedom of the press and actively strived for and defended freedom of the press within the society and the party.Social democrats in the Second International neither replaced social freedom with class freedom (freedom of class) nor replaced democracy with dictatorship in comparison with those communists in the Third International, they were always expanding their efforts to protect freedom of speech and freedom of the press inside and outside the parties and dedicating to fight for and defend press freedom in general, which embodies the characteristics of democracy.Besides, this paper compares social democrats’ideas of press freedom when a social democratic party is out of office and in office, and endeavores to make a comprehensive exposition of socialists’ideas of press freedom during the Second International.