Rosa Luxemburg

(1870-1919)

Rosa Luxemburg, the youngest of five children of a lower middle-class Jewish family was born in Zamosc, in the Polish area of Russia, on 5th March, 1871. She became interested in politics while still at school and in an attempt to escape the authoritarian government of Alexander III, emigrated to Zurich in 1889 where she studied law and political economy.

While in Switzerland she met other socialist revolutionaries from Russia living in exile including, Alexandra Kollontai, George Plekhanov, Leo Jogiches and Pavel Axelrod. In 1893 Luxemburg joined with Leo Jogiches to form the Social Democratic Party of Poland. As it was an illegal organization, she went to Paris to edit the party's newspaper, Sprawa Robotnicza (Workers' Cause).

Luxemburg married Gustav Lubeck in 1898 in order to gain German citizenship. She now settled in Berlin where she joined the Social Democratic Party. A committed revolutionary, Luxemburg campaigned with Karl Kautsky against the revisionist Eduard Bernstein, who argued that the best way to obtain socialism in an industrialized country was through trade union activity and parliamentary politics. In 1905 August Bebel appointed Luxemburg editor of SPD newspaper, Vorwarts (Forward).

During the 1905 Revolution Luxemburg and Leo Jogiches returned to Warsaw where they were soon arrested. Luxemburg's experiences during the failed revolution changed her views on international politics. Until then, Luxemburg believed that a socialist revolution was most likely to take place in an advanced industrialized country such as Germany or France. She now argued it could happen in an underdeveloped country like Russia.

In 1906 Luxemburg published her thoughts on revolution in The Mass Strike, the Political Party, and the Trade Unions. She argued that a general strike had the power to radicalize the workers and bring about a socialist revolution.

Luxemburg taught at the Social Democratic Party school in Berlin between 1907 and 1914. Her book on economic imperialism, The Accumulation of Capital, was published in 1913. She continued to advocate the need for a violent overthrow of capitalism and she gradually became alienated from previous party colleagues, Karl Kautsky and August Bebel.

Luxemburg and Leo Jogiches took the side of the Mensheviks in their struggle with the Bolsheviks. As a result Vladimir Lenin favoured the Polish section led by Karl Radek over those of Luxemburg.

Those on the left-wing of the Social Democratic Party, like Luxemburg, were opposed to Germany's participation in the First World War. In December, 1914,she joined with Karl Liebknecht, Leo Jogiches, Paul Levi, Ernest Meyer, Franz Mehring and Clara Zetkin to establish an underground political organization called Spartakusbund (Spartacus League).

The Spartacus League publicized its views in its illegal newspaper, Spartacus Letters, that was edited by Karl Liebknecht, whereas Luxemburg wrote the highly influential pamphlet, The Crisis in the German Social Democracy (1916).

On 1st May, 1916, the Spartacus League decided to come out into the open and organized a demonstration against the First World War in Berlin. Several of its leaders, including Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were arrested and imprisoned. While in prison Luxemburg wrote The Russian Revolution, where she criticized Vladimir Lenin and the dictatorial and terrorist methods being used by the Bolsheviks in Russia.

Luxemburg was not released until October, 1918, when Max von Baden granted an amnesty to all political prisoners. Two months later Luxemburg joined with Karl Liebknecht, Leo Jogiches, Paul Levi, Ernest Meyer, Franz Mehring and Clara Zetkin to establish the German Communist Party (KPD).

In January, 1919, Luxemburg helped organize the Spartakist Rising in Berlin. Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the Social Democrat Party and Germany's new chancellor, called in the German Army and the Freikorps to bring an end to the rebellion. By 13th January the rebellion had been crushed and most of its leaders were arrested.

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were executed without trial on 15th January, 1919. Leo Jogiches was later murdered while trying to track down her killers.