Eugen Richter (1838-1906) was a German politician and journalist. Since 1856, he studied Law and Economics at the Universities of Bonn, Berlin and Heidelberg, finishing with a law degree in 1859. In those years Richter became a strong advocate of free trade, market economy and Rechtsstaat. In 1859, he became a civil servant in judiciary. His liberal views caused some trouble with the Prussian bureaucracy several times. In 1867 he entered the Reichstag as a member of the Left liberals, and since 1869 he was also a member of the Prussian Lower House. He was the most influential leader of the German Progress Party, the German Freeminded Party and Freeminded People's Party. Beside that he was one of the greatest critics of the policy of Otto von Bismarck as well as the National Liberal Party and the Social Democrats. From 1885 to 1904 he was the chief editor of the liberal newspaper Freisinnige Zeitung. His works include Pictures of the Socialistic Future (1893). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.