Luxemburgism?

[(A)]

Just stumbled upon what looks to me to be a great set of ideas and I wanted to know RevLefts thoughts on the theory based on the writings of Rosa Luxemburg.

Just from a preliminary reading I see that she was a critic of Lenin and Trotsky and what she (accurately?) predicted would come of Russia's Communist party. A opinion I think quite a few share

Another point that the majority here seem to agree on are Social Democrats. Who Rosa was against for being a "complete betrayal of socialism."

Where do you stand on Luxemburgism, Do you consider yourself "Luxemburgist?"

[Creative Destruction]

i like her.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

Rosa Luxemburg wrote one work that was critical of the reported actions of the Bolsheviks, that she didn't finish on account of being dead, and that she never intended to publish in the form in which it was published, years after her death, by someone who had an axe to grind against RKP(b).

"Luxemburgism" doesn't exist. There is no organisation or current that considers itself "Luxemburgist". "Luxemburgism" is simply how a few very social-democratic Trots described their position. Now some sort-of-councilists use it.

[Creative Destruction]

Rosa Luxemburg wrote one work that was critical of the reported actions of the Bolsheviks, that she didn't finish on account of being dead, and that she never intended to publish in the form in which it was published, years after her death, by someone who had an axe to grind against RKP(b).

She wrote a couple of critiques on Leninism, one of which was published in her lifetime. It just wasn't translated into English until after her death.

In as much as there is a tendency called "Luxemburgism," it primarily springs from what she wrote in "The Accumulation of Capital" and "The Mass Strike," as well as some of her smaller pamphlets on nationalism, etc.

[motion denied]

I am influenced by her work, yes.

Her polemic in Organizational Questions of Russian Social-Democracy was dismissed by Lenin right away, "I must point out that Rosa Luxemburg’s Neue Zeit article does not acquaint the reader with my book, but with something else". Her pamphlet on Russian Revolution, while I can agree with most of it, criticized the disbandment of the CA - which was a wrong stance.

Luxemburg was in favour of a centralized vanguard party (at the same time being against bureaucratism), pro-mass strike, against the right of nations to self-determination and had a peculiar theory of imperialism... There's no 'Luxemburgism', as she was basically a left-socdem, murdered too soon to develop her theories further.

Interestingly enough, her criticisms of Lenin were confirmed a century later. Every leninist org. I've ever been in contact with could be found on OQoRSC...

that she didn't finish on account of being dead, and that she never intended to publish in the form in which it was published, years after her death, by someone who had an axe to grind against RKP(b).

I believe it was Paul Levi?

[(A)]

i like her.

When I saw her picture I figured you liked her. I had no clue who avatar was.

[Zukunftsmusik]

In as much as there is a tendency called "Luxemburgism," it primarily springs from what she wrote in "The Accumulation of Capital" and "The Mass Strike," as well as some of her smaller pamphlets on nationalism, etc.

I don't think three works constitute a tendency. She was part of a "leftist" tendency within German social democracy and the second International, but wasn't at all alone in this. Pannekoek, for example, was just as militant in his polemics against Kautsky and in support of the mass strike. But in the sense of a theoretical and practical tradition, there is no "Luxemburgist" tendency. Though there are of course tendencies that are influenced by her.


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[Creative Destruction]

I don't think three works constitute a tendency.

I mostly agree, which is why I said "in as much as there is one" in relation to her output. There are some groups, though, that use her as a figurehead and use her ideas as a major springboard, like the Marxist Humanist Initiative, which Andrew Kliman heads.

[Blake's Baby]

There was (maybe still is?) a Luxemburgist group based in Spain. It is essentially a radical social-democratic group as far as I can tell. Occasionally she is also popular among Trotskyists looking for a new flavour. They quickly drop her when they actually read her though.

For several years I called myself a Luxemburgist. Not because she was critical of the Bolsheviks - so were Lenin and Trotsky. Being critical of some things that happened after October 1917 is a very sensible position to have in my opinion, if everything had gone peachy we'd be living in a communist world now. She was also hugely supportive of the Bolsheviks, and firmly said that she supported them, and 'Bolshevism' was the future for the working class. Rather, I called myself a Luxemburgist because of her stance on the national question and because of 'Accumulation of Capital', both of which I regard as being hugely important (I realise that I'm in a minority on the latter question, even among Left Communists).

But; there is no organised 'Luxemburgist' current. Mostly, her political heirs can be found in Left Communism today.

[Zoroaster]

Although Rosa was a smart woman who's commitment to democracy, her writings on capital accumulation, and defense of revolution should be followed by would-be revolutionaries, "Luxemburgism" isn't really a thing.

Her idea's have mainly influenced Left Communists and Trotskyists, although the PSL did defend her in one article.

[consuming negativity]

I think just about everybody loves Rosa Luxemburg, at least among persons interested in communism. I don't think I've ever seen her criticized before.

[VivalaCuarta]

Luxemburgism was invented after Luxemburg's death by neo-Bernsteinians who take bits and pieces of Luxemburg's worst political mistakes, slandering her memory in order to justify their anti-communism and opportunism.

[Atsumari]

I think just about everybody loves Rosa Luxemburg, at least among persons interested in communism. I don't think I've ever seen her criticized before.

I do feel that if she was not martyred, she would have been condemned by most of the people who praise her struggle.

[Blake's Baby]

That's possibly true. As she never was in a position where she had to compromise her principles or make up policy on the fly (unlike Lenin and Trotsky) her political legacy looks quite unsullied by compromise. That might not have survived a couple of years of political infighting had the revolution succeeded in Germany.

On the other hand, had the revolution succeeded in Germany, we'd likely be living in a Communist world now, and we'd probably have forgiven her.

[Loony Le Fist]

I first started posting on this forum under the impression that I was a Luxemburgist. Eventually, I came to understand that socialism isn't really about -isms. Not to put down anyone who identifies with an -ism. Unfortunately, I didn't really quite align myself with any of the choices. Though I chose I support her theory, I think what I really felt like answering was I agree with her analysis of various situations.

I particularly like The Accumulation of Capital and Reform or Revolution. Her views on credit in Capital are particularly prevalent (among the other things mentioned).

[Zoroaster]

I do feel that if she was not martyred, she would have been condemned by most of the people who praise her struggle.

I want that picture as my background.

[Slavoj Zizek's Balls]

I first started posting on this forum under the impression that I was a Luxemburgist. Eventually, I came to understand that socialism isn't really about -isms. Not to put down anyone who identifies with an -ism. Unfortunately, I didn't really quite align myself with any of the choices. Though I chose I support her theory, I think what I really felt like answering was I agree with her analysis of various situations.

I particularly like The Accumulation of Capital and Reform or Revolution. Her views on credit in Capital are particularly prevalent (among the other things mentioned).

So what's with your alignment with anti-fascism?

[Creative Destruction]

I think just about everybody loves Rosa Luxemburg, at least among persons interested in communism. I don't think I've ever seen her criticized before.

hm. well, Lenin had some choice words to say about her ideas. but yeah, people kind of see her as a martyr, even among those who aren't interested in what she wrote.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

Luxemburgism doesn't exist. If anything, you could argue Luxemburg was a classical Marxist who could be identified as the ideological heir to Marx-Engels rather than Lenin if you really dig her. After the death of Engels and the rise of the 2nd International, she (along with a few others like Kautsky) became the big voices of Marxism between the late 1890s up to the Russian Revolution.

I've heard some critiques from M-L's saying her position on the peasants was wrong, while others say her recent popularity resurgence is merely due to the mystery and martyrdom of her. Not a lot of people actually read her that much.
She probably did go overboard on the idea of spontaneity, but if you have some serious inquiries about what she thought and wrote, you should check out her more popular works (as they are relatively cheap and not too long to read). The best choice is always to go the source of the work and make an opinion for yourself.

[Brotto Rühle]

Although Luxemburg had some pretty good things to say, in particular on National Liberation and mass strike, and criticisms of reformism and kautsky...Luxemburgism isn't a real tendency.

She was, for most of her life a left social democrat. Near the end she was more along the lines of a "Bolshevik Lite".