 Complete the following phrase:  Schneider was born to Catholic and liberal parents in Ettenheim. He studied medicine and specialised in ophthalmology. In 1898 he settled in Neunkirchen, Saarland and started his practice. From the end of the century he showed an interest in the burgeoning social democracy and studied the works of Marx, Engels, Bebel and Kautsky. After World War I during the 