Bangladesh, Feb. 26 -- Germanys Social Democratic Party (SPD), one of the Wests oldest and most storied political forces, has long stood as a pillar of social democracy. From its opposition to Nazism to its role in rebuilding postwar Germany, the SPD has historically been at the forefront of progressive labor, economic, and human rights reforms. Under the leadership of figures like Willy Brandt, whose “Ostpolitik” laid the groundwork for German reunification, the party helped shape the modern German state. However, the results of Germanys recent federal election paint a starkly different picture of the SPDs standing today.

Winning only 16.4 percent of the vote, the party has been eclipsed by both the conservative Christian De...