Lassalle, Ferdinand (fĕr`dēnänt läsäl`), 1825–64, German socialist. The son of a Jewish merchant, he studied at the universities of Breslau and Berlin, where he became a philosophical Hegelian. He gained wide recognition as an attorney in a lengthy and notorious divorce suit (1846–54). In this period he became acquainted with Karl Marx and, partly influenced by him, developed a theory of state socialism. In contrast to Marxian theory, Lassalle's theories emphasized the role of the state and nationalism. He argued that the state should make capital outlays to enable the workers to set up producers' cooperatives; he believed that the state could be forced to do this once universal suffrage was achieved. Lassalle's influence on German politics was great, particularly in introducing the workers as a third element in the contest between Otto von Bismarck Bismarck, Otto von (bĭz`märk, Ger.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Prussian liberals. He played a key role in establishing (1863) the General German Workers' Association, the first workers' political party in Germany; this later developed (1875) into the Social Democratic party. Lassalle was killed in a duel over a love affair, which is the subject of George Meredith's novel The Tragic Comedians. His collected works were edited by Eduard Bernstein (12 vol., 1919–20).
(born April 11, 1825, Breslau, Prussia—died Aug. 31, 1864, near Geneva, Switz.) German socialist, a founder of the German labour movement. He took part in the revolution of 1848–49 and established contact with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In 1859 he settled in Berlin and became a political journalist. His advocacy of an evolutionary approach to socialism through a democratic constitutional state based on universal suffrage led to his gradual estrangement from Marx. He helped form the General German Workers' Association (1863) and was elected its president, but associates rebelled against his authoritarian leadership. In 1864 he went to Switzerland for a rest, fell passionately in love, and was killed at age 39 in a duel with the woman's former fiancé.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Prussian liberals. He played a key role in establishing (1863) the General German Workers' Association, the first workers' political party in Germany; this later developed (1875) into the Social Democratic party. Lassalle was killed in a duel over a love affair, which is the subject of George Meredith's novel The Tragic Comedians. His collected works were edited by Eduard Bernstein (12 vol., 1919–20).
Bibliography
See biographies by A. Schirokauer (tr. 1931) and D. J. Footman (1947, repr. 1969).
Lassalle, Ferdinand
orig. Ferdinand Lasal)
Lassalle, c. 1860
(credit: Archiv fur Kunst und Geschichte, Berlin)
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