A Revolutionary on the Margins Rosa Luxemburg 1871-1919

Revolutions of 1848 ‘Springtime of the People’ Reasons: Ideological differences: Liberalism, nationalism, socialism Desire for national unity and autonomy Economic crisis Search for economic equality Demand for rights of the working class

Revolutions of 1848 ‘Springtime of the People’ Series of uprisings in Europe Aims: removal of royal absolutism new unified nation-states Universal suffrage (males) Emancipation of serfs Marx&Engels’ Manifesto of the Communist Party (February 1848)

Paris Commune 1871 French defeat by Prussia 1870 Collapse of the Second French Empire Parisians refused to disarm and founded the Paris Commune Paris at war with rest of France March-May 1871 Government troops ended the siege of Paris in bloodshed (25,000 people massacred)

Politics of Socialism 1864 The First International: international working men’s association in London 1869 Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Germany later (SPD) 1889 The Second International

German Social Democratic Party Founded 1869 August Bebel (1840-1913) Wilhelm Liebknecht (1826-1900)

The Second International 1880 Founded in 1880 to support working people’s parties Made up of representatives of the socialist parties from all over the world, especially Europe. Anti-War: oppose capitalism to oppose war

Highlights of The 2nd International May 1 , 1889- International Worker’s Day August 1907 -- 25 nations met to create the 2nd International of Worker’s Parties August 1910 -- International Women's Day for March 8 July 29, 1914 -- resolved that workers of all nations should demonstrate against the coming war.

Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) 1871 Born in Poland 1889 escaped from Poland to Zurich 1893 co-founded the Polish Social Democratic Party 1898 Moved to Berlin Years of Imprisonment 1904, 1906, 1914-1915-1916, 1916-18 1914 Co-founded the Spartacus League in Berlin 1918 co-founded the German Communist Party (KPD) 1919 murdered at age 47

Spontaniety of Revolution Emphasis on spontaneity of working class in revolution, self-organisation Criticism of Bolshevik revolution: Russian Revolution will end in a dictatorship not in a socialist democracy

August 1914 celebration of the break out of war World　War　I August 1914 celebration of the break out of war Viennese crowd carries pictures of Emperor and Kaiser

Social Democrats and Spartacus League leaders Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) Karl Liebknecht (1871-1919) Leo Jogiches (1867-1919)

The End of the 2nd International German Social-Democratic Party decided to be “patriotic” and support the war. popular and «electable» in their own countries was more important than international cooperation for peace. Spartacists split from the party and organized an anti-war peace movement. 1917-the Russian Revolution The end of the 2nd International

Otto Runge (second from right) and his comrades celebrate the murders of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht with a drink in the Hotel Eden, 15 January 1919. The photo was printed in the Communist ‘Die Rote Fahne’ newspaper soon after, by the editor Leo Jogiches.

Freikorps of 1919 calling on men to “Guard the Homeland!”

International Socialist Congress Amsterdam 1904

International Socialist Womens’ Congress 1907

Economically and socially, the women of the exploiting classes are not an independent segment of the population.. Their only social function is to be tools of the natural propagation of the ruling classes. By contrast, the women of the proletariat are economically independent. They are productive for society like the men. By this I do not mean their bringing up children or their housework which helps men support their families on scanty wages. This kind of work is not productive in the sense of the present capitalist economy no matter how enormous an achievement the sacrifices and energy spent, the thousand little efforts add up to. This is but the private affair of the worker, his happiness and blessing, and for this reason nonexistent for our present society. As long as capitalism and the wage system rule, only that kind of work is considered productive which produces surplus value, which creates capitalist profit. From this point of view, the music-hall dancer whose legs sweep profit into her employer's pocket is a productive worker, whereas all the toil of the proletarian women and mothers in the four walls of their homes is considered unproductive. This sounds brutal and insane, but corresponds exactly to the brutality and insanity of our present capitalist economy. And seeing this brutal reality clearly and sharply is the proletarian woman's first task.

Social Reproduction