Life & Legacy

Rosa Luxemburg (1871 – 1919) was one of the eminent representatives of democratic socialist thought and activities in Europe. An outspoken opponent of World War I (1914 – 1918), she was along with Karl Liebknecht the most prominent representative of internationalism and anti-militarism in the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Her passionate and persuasive criticism of capitalism fuelled her revolutionary activities. Full of hope, she welcomed the Russian revolution of 1917. However, as revolutionary democrat she remained distanced and vigilant; with lucidity she criticized the autocratic and even dictatorial politics of the Bolsheviks.

Born on 5 March 1871 in the small town of Zamość in the Russian occupied part of Poland as daughter of a Jewish merchant, Rosa Luxemburg received her school education in Warsaw. In 1889, she was threatened with arrest for her revolutionary activities and fled to Switzerland via Germany. At a time when almost no women went to college or university, she studied at the University of Zurich natural sciences, law and economics. In 1897, she earned a doctoral degree with her thesis on the “Industrial development of Poland."

In 1898, Rosa Luxemburg resettled to Germany. A fictitious marriage provided her with German citizenship. From then on, she fought for the German social democracy at party congresses, international conventions and in her articles and books. From 1907 until 1914, she worked as a lecturer at the social democratic party school in Berlin.

In February 1914, Rosa Luxemburg was condemned to imprisonment for her anti-war speeches. From July 1916 until November 1918, she was interned in Berlin, Wronke and Breslau. Let out of custody on 9 November 1918, she got involved with her whole energy in the German November revolution. Together with Karl Liebknecht, she published the newspaper “Die Rote Fahne” (The Red Flag) and worked for a comprehensive social upheaval.

Rosa Luxemburg was assassinated on 15 January 1919 by murderers in uniform – people who belonged to those circles that later openly supported the handing over of power to Hitler and the Nazi party.

Rosa Luxemburg’s fate is inseparably linked to the development of the German labor movement, the fights between its various sections and, finally, their splitting. She was a co-founder of the Spartacus group in 1916 and of the Communist Party of Germany on 31 December 1918.

Rosa Luxemburg leaves nobody indifferent. Uncompromisingly and with a powerful voice, she defended her convictions. With human warmth and rousing temperament, she was able to win everyone for herself, who dealt with her without prejudices. However, she also encountered intimidation and hatred from those who envied her. Despite her German citizenship, she remained a foreigner in the eyes of her political enemies – a Pole and a Jew.

Above all, Rosa Luxemburg’s idea of freedom as the “freedom to dissent” has a compelling force. Her endeavors to link political freedom and justice are still highly relevant today.