Rosa Luxemburg’s Berlin

"Berlin has made the most unfavourable impression on me." It is 1898 and Rosa Luxemburg has just arrived in the capital of the German Empire. She describes it in a letter as: "cold, tasteless, massive – a real barracks." She will remain in Berlin until her assassination, which took place 101 years ago today. Here is where she spent her time in Berlin.

Six “Spooky” Socialism Quotes to Enjoy on Halloween

It’s no secret. Marx and Marxists loved to use vivid and yes, spooky imagery: spectres, ghosts, rotting corpses and vampires. Here are six of our favorites. Send us your favorite spooky socialist quotes and we will update this article to include audience submissions. Contact us via email ([email protected]), Twitter (@left_voice) or send us a Facebook message!

Not on Our Side: On Bernie Sanders and Imperialism

Bernie Sanders presents himself as an anti-war candidate. But he has voted in favor of almost every single U.S. military intervention in the last two decades. A look at his record…

Revolution or Attrition: Reading Kautsky Between the Lines

Karl Kautsky argued that one could switch from a “strategy of attrition” to a “strategy of overthrow” as the situation changed. In this piece, one of the authors of “Socialist Strategy and Military Art” argues that these two strategies are irreconcilable.

A Call for a More Militant May Day

On May first, leftist groups around the world recognize May Day amidst the backdrop of an emboldened right-wing bent on exploiting and oppressing us in order to further enrich an insatiable minority. What are the militant origins of May Day (also referred to as or International Workers’ Day) and how should socialists carry on its legacy today?

Kautsky, Luxemburg, and Lenin in Light of the German Revolution

What can socialists today learn from Karl Kautsky? To answer this question, we need to see how his theories held up during the German Revolution of 1918. This presentation, part of an ongoing debate with Eric Blanc, Charlie Post, Mike Taber, and other socialists, was given at the Socialism in Our Time conference on April 14 in New York City.

Rosa Luxemburg Memorial in Berlin Vandalized

A commemorative plaque at the spot where Rosa Luxemburg was murdered has been defaced with white spray paint. There are similarities to the attack on the grave of Karl Marx in London ten days ago.

The Politics of Red Rosa

On January 15, 1919, a group of Freikorps (German paramilitaries) murdered Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. What they could not kill was the powerful ideas of the “red rose” of the world proletariat, Rosa Luxemburg.

100 Years Ago in Berlin: Revolution and Counterrevolution in Germany

In the first days of the German Revolution, workers’ and soldiers’ councils formed across Germany. The Social Democrats allied with the military to save as much of the old order as they could. The Communists tried to organize the forces of the revolution. This fight came to a head at a national congress of the councils.