Nominally, the DSAP was founded at a conference in
Chorzów on August 9, 1925, through the merger of the
Silesia/
West Prussia-based
German Social Democratic Party of Poland (DSPP) and the
Łódź-based
German Labour Party of Poland (DAP). The merger was not fully effective, and in practice, the two parties continued separate existences until the merger was finalized in 1929. An 'Executive of the DSAP' was formed after the nominal founding of the party, consisting of
Siegmund Glücksmann,
Johann Kowoll, Buchwald, Kociolek, Ludwig Kuk, Klim,
Arthur Pankrantz and Emil Zerbe.
Kattowitzer Volkswille was assigned as the central party organ. One of the first actions of the party executive was the publication of the 'Manifesto of the united
DSAP. DSAP became the second largest party in the 1927 Lodz city council election, trailing behind the
Polish Socialist Party (PPS). DSAP got 16,643 votes and seven seats in the council. In central Poland the municipal elections showed the strength of the party in the region; in total DSAP had 36 city councilors and 7 magistrate members in the area. In 1928, the party claimed to have 8,406 members, out of whom 2,500 were women. The youth wing of the party had around 1,200 members, out of whom 480 were women. The party had an educational organization,
Bund für Arbeiterbildung (6,000 members) and a children's organization,
Kinderfreudegruppen (300 members). In June 1928, the
Bydgoszcz branch of the party had broken away, forming a separate
German Social Democratic Party of Poland. In Silesia, the situation was somewhat different from that in central Poland. In
Upper Silesia, the party did not fare too well in municipal polls. In the 1929 city council election in
Katowice, the party mustered to get two seats. In
Bielsko, the result was better for the party in local elections. In the 1929 city council election, the party won eight seats (in alliance with the PPS). Several representatives of the
Labour and Socialist International and socialist parties participated as guests to the Lodz conference, including the
SPD leader
Johannes Stelling, the PPS chairman
Herman Diamand, the leader of the
Jewish
Bund Henryk Ehrlich. In October 1930, DSAP suffered another split, as the leftist Heinrich Scheibler broke away and formed the
German Socialist Labour Party in Poland – Left (DSAP-Linke). Scheibler was able to take parts of the party organization in the Łódź area with him. DSAP was fiercely opposed to the pro-
National Socialist Young German Party (JdP), which had its base in Bielsko. The rise in popularity of National Socialism amongst the Germans in Poland would prove disastrous for the DSAP. In Upper Silesia, support for the party rapidly eroded after the 1933 Machtübernahme. In September–October 1933, the DSAP joined the call initiated by the
Bund for a boycott of goods from Germany, in protest of the Hitler regime. In 1932, the DSAP had 5,429 members in Upper Silesia. By 1937, the number had declined to 560. As of early 1936, the party had only three functioning branches in Upper Silesia, Katowice, Chorzów and
Bielszowice. The Bielszowice branch went defunct before the end of the year, though. By March 1937, the remainder of the DSAP branch in Chorzów joined the PPS. On August 26, 1939, the DSAP signed the joint statement of socialist parties in Poland, calling for the people to fight against Hitlerism (other signatories included the Bund). The party was a member of the
Labour and Socialist International between 1923 and 1940. ==References==