Rosa Luxemburg

Question 1

Luxemburg’s main work

Answer 1

Reform or revolution (1900)

Question 2

Luxemburg’s views on Marx’s ideas

Answer 2

Accepted capitalism leads to exploitation and conflict with humans natural nature

Evolutionary socialism is impossible, only revolution can power change

However (agreeing with Lenin), disagreed that capitalism would have to reach a severe stage for a revolution to occur

Question 3

Luxemburg’s idea of revolution

Answer 3

Disagreed with Marx + Lenin that revolution can only happen after planning from the vanguard elite (elite within working class)

She believed a revolution would ‘spontaneously’ arise after class consciousness arises from the Prolitariat’s battle in the workplace. Leads to mass action, then wider revolutionary movement

Rejected idea of ‘Dictatorship of the Prolitariat’, instead wanted immediate democracy, underpinned by common ownership, elections and open debate

Question 4

Luxemburg’s participation in current politics

Answer 4

Believed that her current political party she founded (German communist party - 1918) should still contest elections

‘Betrayal’ of revolutionary socialism

Luxemburg argued it spreads the revolutionary message to the masses. Argument later adopted by ‘Neo-Marxists’ and remains popular among European communist parties today