Moritz Rittinghausen

Moritz Rittinghausen (November 10, 1814, in Hückeswagen – December 29, 1890, in Ath, Belgium) was a German advocate and theorist of direct democracy, an early socialist and a politician.

Rittinghausen lived in Belgium temporarily during the period before the March Revolution and emerged there as a leading thinker on social politics. He took an active part in the German revolutions of 1848–49 as a democrat. After leaving the country during the Reaction following the Revolution, he later returned to Germany and began to take a role in the labor movement. He was among the founders of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany, before he was thrown out of the party over political differences. Provided by Wikipedia