Nuremberg Congress of 1868

the Fifth Congress of the Union of German Workers’ Societies (founded 1863), held from Sept. 5–7, 1868.

After a sharp debate, the Nuremberg Congress adopted a program based on that of the First International and passed a resolution to join the International. The congress committed the leadership and members of the union to the struggle for centralized trade unions. In a special resolution, the congress condemned the regular army and demanded that it be replaced by a popular militia. The struggle against militarism was declared to be a necessary condition for the creation of a united and free Germany. A. Bebel was reelected chairman of the union’s executive committee, a post he had held since 1867. The Nuremberg Congress of 1868 was an important stage in the emergence of an independent party of the German proletariat.