Arthur Crispien is a German politician and current co-chairman of the SPD.
History[]
Early life[]
Arthur Crispien was born in Königsberg to August and Franziska Crispien. After attending art school, he began working as a theater painter and later became a health insurance clerk.
Early political career[]
Crispien joined the SPD in 1894 and later worked for various party newspapers. He became the editor of the Königsberger Volkszeitung in 1904, then the Danzig Volkswacht in 1906, and then the Stuttgart Schwäbische Tagwacht in 1912.
From 1906 to 1912, he was also the regional Chairman of the SPD in West Prussia.
Weltkrieg and USPD affiliation[]
After the start of the Weltkrieg, Crispien was dismissed from the Schwäbische Tagwacht along with his colleagues due to his criticism of the party's Burgfriedenspolitik. Afterward, he published the newspaper Der Sozialdemokrat, but got imprisoned for six months due to its pacifist content.
In 1917, he joined the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD), and in 1919 became the party's co-chairman alongside Hugo Haase.
SPD Chairmanship[]
The USPD began to decline after the end of the Weltkrieg, and with the fall of Erzberger in 1922, the MSPD and USPD agreed to reunite in 1923. Crispien was elected as vice-chairman to mend the party's split.
Crispien eventually became co-chairman of the SPD alongside Hermann Müller in late 1923. However, he is mostly powerless in the party.