ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Jusos’ structure, history, ideology, factionalism, and links to the parent organization—how the Social Democratic Party, on the pinnacle of success as a governing party, was beset by a host of insurmountable externally-generated problems, including the Juso rebellion against society and the party’s system-sustaining policies. The Young Socialists, attempting to abide by internal democracy, emphasized the theory of the “imperative mandate,” under which leaders were to be responsible to their constituents. In 1973, the Economist provided a dramatic commentary on the Young Socialists: The Jusos, although probably past their peak, provide the most fascinating political phenomenon in modern Germany—the picture of an epic ideological wrangle in full spate inside the party which dominates government. Fights for the soul of a major political party in modern times have invariably taken place in opposition, not during the years of power.
