The social democratic moment
Subtitle: ideas and politics in the making of interwar Europe
By: Sheri Berman.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Cambridge, Ma
Language: eng
Number of pages: 308
Subjects: Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti -- History -- 20th century.; Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands -- History -- 20th century.; Socialism -- Sweden -- History -- 20th century.; Socialism -- Germany -- History -- 20th century.
Description: In addition to revising our view of the interwar period and the building of European democracies, this book cuts against the grain of most current theorizing in political science by explicitly discussing when and how ideas influence political behavior.

Even though German and Swedish social democrats belonged to the some transnational political movement and faced similar political and social conditions in their respective countries before and after World War I, they responded very differently to the challenges of democratization and the Great Depression - with crucial consequences for the fates of their countries and the world at large.

Explaining why these two social democratic parties acted so differently is the primary task of this book. Berman's answer is that they had very different ideas about politics and economicswhat she calls their programmatic beliefs.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Based on author's dissertation, Harvard University.