German Social Democratic Party Program Compilation

Author: Zhang Shipeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Peking University Center for German Studies. The Peking University Center for German Studies is an interdisciplinary and comprehensive research and teaching institution composed of teachers from various humanities and social science departments who are engaged in German studies. It conducts interdisciplinary German studies and cultivates high-level talents with professional expertise while being familiar with the situation in Germany. The Center maintains close ties with universities and research institutions in Germany and China in various forms and receives support from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and other German universities. It is one of the 13 German Studies Centers worldwide funded by DAAD. The tasks of the Center mainly include: (1) introducing new developments in the study of German politics, economy, society, culture, and academia; (2) establishing a joint Sino-German master's program and gradually developing a joint Sino-German doctoral program; (3) supporting teaching and research activities on Germany in Chinese universities and other academic institutions; (4) promoting academic cooperation between Chinese and German scholars through research projects and academic conferences; (5) providing consulting services on Sino-German political, economic, and cultural matters to relevant institutions in both countries; (6) academic publishing. The Center currently publishes the "Peking University Series on German Studies," "Peking University Translation Series on German Studies," "Series on German Culture Review," and "Peking University German Studies." This "Collected Programmes of the Social Democratic Party of Germany" is a collaborative translation and compilation by myself and my teacher, Mr. Yin Xuyi. When translating these historical documents and making them available for reading, we first need to answer the question: Why study the Social Democratic Party of Germany? This question is primarily directed at the academic community, as scholars working in various disciplines—politics, economics, philosophy, society, culture, and more—have all, to varying degrees, engaged with German Social Democratic Party studies. For example, a renowned Chinese economist once said that the economic theories of the Social Democrats have had a significant impact on the field of economics in China. Of course, this includes the theories of German Social Democratic Party economists on the German economic model. Let alone the currently popular study of foreign political parties, the historical lessons and recent developments of the German Social Democratic Party in its own construction are topics of close attention for many political theorists. The study of the German Social Democratic Party has a long history in China. At least since 1949, people have approached the study of the party from different angles at different times, establishing various entry points and thus creating different research hotspots.