Luxembourgism: Help

[the last donut of the night]

I believe I am a Luxembourgist, but I am not completely sure. Could I get a simple introduction to the more in-depth ideas of it?

[the last donut of the night]

Thank you

[ZeroNowhere]

I would not recommend 'The Accumulation of Capital', but it was one of her main additions to theory (well, that kind of thing wasn't especially new, but she was attempting to give it a solid foundation).

[Nwoye]

If you want a background of what Luxemburgism is, the International Luxemburgist Network (ILN) gives a description here (http://www.luxemburgism.lautre.net/spip.php?article41) of what it considers to be the major pillars of Luxemburg's theories.


1. Luxemburg’s conception of the democratic self-organization of the working class is vital today as an alternative to the Leninist notion of a vanguard of professional revolutionaries, separate from the working class and itself guided by a centralized body of experienced leaders. We reject such a top-down, hierarchical approach, because such hierarchy only mirrors the separation under class society of those who decide from those who work. It can never overturn such a society. Only organizations that are democratic and give the power to make decisions to the workers themselves can help to organize a new society in which all decisions are made democratically, and power is in the hands of the many, not the few.

2. The democratic organization and unification of the working class arises out of workers’ collective action in mass strikes, as Luxemburg first showed a century ago. The process of self-organization and mass transformation of consciousness that she described has been demonstrated repeatedly in the mass strikes of ’18, ’36, ’68 and many other years, up to the present. It is through this process, not just through electoral or labor-union action, that the workers can form themselves into a class capable of leading society.

3. At a time of global economic collapse, Luxemburg’s theory of the accumulation of capital makes it clear how and why capitalism has reached it ultimate limits. The continued existence of capitalism thus will lead humanity into a prolonged period of decline and ultimately, if allowed to continue, into a new Dark Age of barbarism. Her analysis shows why revolutionary transformation, an end to capitalism and the social ownership of all wealth are essential today. Capitalists’ concessions to the working class in this period will occur in struggles, but will only be temporary unless power over the economy is taken away from the capitalists.

4. Finally, the unification of the working class is essential if it is to take power. Luxemburg’s uncompromising opposition to all forms of nationalisms and to the myth of national self-determination is a critical basis for consistent opposition to all the divisions of today based on sex, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or skin-color. Like Luxemburg, we believe that workers everywhere have the same interests.

[Die Neue Zeit]

I believe I am a Luxembourgist, but I am not completely sure. Could I get a simple introduction to the more in-depth ideas of it?

Being a Luxemburgist unfortunately has the side effect of philosophical sectarianism. They tend to cluster into organizations that have a basis for unity beyond programmatic unity, and into the Hegelian "unity of will." This is then justified by pointing to the future revolutionary period when the class organizes itself spontaneously, as if present organization is irrelevant.

[The Ungovernable Farce]

Yeah, I think that (despite the ultra-dull name), Organisational Questions of Russian Social Democracy is meant to be one of the really important ones for understanding the difference between her ideas and Leninism. Here's libcom's Rosa Luxemburg library, anyway. (http://libcom.org/tags/rosa-luxemburg) At least some of that should be useful. Good luck with Luxemburgism, it's always seemed like one of the most sensible Marxist currents.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Don't forget the history of the sectarian SDKPiL (Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania).

[The Ungovernable Farce]

Don't forget the history of the sectarian SDKPiL (Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania).
Would you care to explain why it's relevant, or do you just want to tell us not to forget it?

[Tower of Bebel]

I would also recommend the second article from this link (http://www.isreview.org/issues/59/feat-lenin.shtml) (Lenin and Luxemburg). You should search for old threads (mostly from 2008 I guess). We had some interesting discussions about (half) a year ago.