Rosa Luxemburg (“Red Rosa”), the Social Democratic Party, and the Spartacist League

Agitation for workers rights Support labor unions to help workers Campaigns to get socialist candidates elected Strikes to demand better work conditions Organized May Day (May 1) (general/mass strike) Socialist Political Activities

The Second International –Founded 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

German Social Democratic Party Founded 1891 August Bebel ( ) Wihelm Liebknecht ( )

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

World War I August 1914 war broke out & patriotism surged and crowds celebrated, cheering and laughing Viennese crowd carries pictures of Emperor and Kaiser

Happy French girls send off their “hero” soldiers

Crowd in St. Petersburg, Russia

Crowd cheering in front of Buckingham Palace after hearing of the outbreak of World War I

British soldiers in the trenches

Poison Gas Attack

German soldiers and dogs wearing gas masks

British Soldiers Blinded by Gas

Artillery barrage before an attack

Legless body in a French trench

After the battle

The End of the 2 nd 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 the Russian Revolution The end of the 2 nd International

Three Friends Social Democrats and Spartacist League leaders Rosa Luxemburg ( ) Leo Jogiches ( ) Karl Liebknecht ( )

Karl Liebknecht ( ) German Anti-war Activist founded Socialist Youth International in with Rosa Luxemburg, founded the Spartacist League the only Reichstag Deputy to oppose war credits in the Reichstag in imprisoned in May 1916 for anti-war activity. released in November 1918 leader of the failed Berlin uprising in January Murdered on January 15th 1919, along with his life-long comrade Rosa Luxemburg.

Rosa Luxemburg ( ) Polish Militant Pacifist 18 years of age escaped from Poland to Zurich helped create the Polish Social Democratic Party. electrifying speaker advocate of the mass strike opposed armed insurrection. spent the War inside prison arrested by her former Social-Democratic comrades murdered on January 15, 1919, at age 47

1890 he escaped to Switzerland long political and personal relationship with Rosa Luxemburg. helped Luxemburg founded the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland murdered while trying to investigate the assassination of Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht during the Spartacist uprising. Leo Jogiches ( ) Polish Revolutionary Pacifist

Who murdered them? Mounted Rifle Korps, a Freikorps unit under Captain Waldemar Papst. court proceedings gave low sentences to the killers those who had actually instituted the murders went unpunished. Freikorps -- personal armies (“free army group”) returned disgruntled soldiers without jobs acted as personal armies often battled in the streets and carried out assassinations greatly contributed to lawlessness & instability Adolf Hitler later had his own frei korps

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

Freikorps soldiers in Berlin 1919

German RAC (Rock Against Communism) group called “Freikorps”

Samples of American RAC music Blue Eyed Devils: Total War Bound for Glory: Hear Our War Cry Day of the Sword: White Supremacy

Sources of Information Rosa Luxemburg: A Revolutionary for Our Times, by Stephen Eric Bronner. Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997 History of Berlin website: Rosa Luxemburg website: Marxist website: Rosa Luxemburg, film by Margarethe von Trotta, 1986