born Feb. 22, 1840, Deutz, near Cologne, Ger.
died Aug. 13, 1913, Passugg, Switz.
German socialist and writer.
A turner by trade, Bebel joined the Leipzig Workers' Educational Association (1861) and became its chairman (1865). Influenced by the ideas of Wilhelm Liebknecht , in 1869 he helped found the Social Democratic Labour Party (later the Social Democratic Party ) and became its most influential and popular leader for more than 40 years. He served in the Reichstag in 1867, 187181, and 18831913. He spent a total of nearly five years in prison on such charges as "libel of Bismarck." He wrote a number of works, including Woman and Socialism (1883), a powerful piece of Social Democratic propaganda.