Writings of Rosa Luxemburg

by Rosa Luxemburg, Lenny Frank Jr.

Selected Writings from "Red Rosa" Luxemburg, one of the founders of the German Communist Party. Contains "Reform or Revolution?", concerning the reformist program of parliamentary socialism; "The Socialist Crisis in France", concerning the entry of the Socialist Party into the French Government; and other essays.

Genres: Economics, Politics, Theory

Nook

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Rosa Luxemburg (Rosalia Luxemburg, Polish: Róża Luksemburg) was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent who became a naturalized German citizen. She was successively a member of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, the Social Democratic Party of Germany(SPD), the Independent Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party of Germany.

In 1915, after the SPD supported German involvement in World War I, she co-founded, with Karl Liebknecht, the anti-war Spartakusbund (Spartacist League). On 1 January 1919 the Spartacist League became the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). In November 1918, during the German Revolution she founded the Die Rote Fahne (The Red Flag), the central organ of the Spartacist movement.

She regarded the Spartacist uprising of January 1919 in Berlin as a blunder, but supported it after Liebknecht ordered it without her knowledge. When the revolt was crushed by the social democrat government and the Freikorps (WWI veterans defending the Weimar Republic), Luxemburg, Liebknecht and some of their supporters were captured and murdered. Luxemburg was drowned in the Landwehr Canal in Berlin. After their deaths, Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht became martyrs for Marxists. According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, commemoration of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht continues to play an important role among the German far-left.

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosa Luxemburg was an intellectual giant. Her ideas and analysis deserve to be studied far and wide, especially in the context of Marxist thought. She was not afraid to challenge the ideas of any vaunted persona of the past or of her time, but not for the sake of grandstanding... her disagreements could also be quite nuanced. This particular edition suffers from a couple of problems: It has the most spelling/typo errors I've ever seen in a book. Also, most collected writings, especially ones from so far in the past (late 1800s to early 1900s) will usually have some kind of introduction to the essays. These essays would truly have benefited from some kind of historical context. In fact, the Reform or Revolution essay does not even have the date it was published as all the others do. I don't think this book makes a good introductory volume to her writings unless one is being guided by someone knowledgeable.

[Murray Katkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting selection of a titanic figure’s works… the national question remains the strongest one in the collection. The standout pieces are “Reform or Revolution” and “The National Question.” Her lucidity as a Marxist is evident through reading either text. She exhibits an understanding of Marxism and a capacity at applying it in such a way that seems to me to be sorely lacking in the work of many of her contemporaries: possibly due to the less “agitational” character of some of her works. Her work on the national question is truly exceptional and she flexes her Marxist muscles in a remarkable way. I recommend that short work for anyone looking for a Marxist critique of nationalism deeper than the idea that it’s a conspiratorial bourgeois obfuscation, though a complementary reading of Hobsbawm’s work on nationalism enhances one’s historical understanding of nationalism. Lenin rightly called her an eagle, and boy did she fly high!