Assignment

Write an essay of four pages on Rosa Luxemburg's analysis of the underlying causes of the First World War laid out in her pamphlet "The War and the Workers."

Rosa Luxemburg, a Polish-German activist and Marxist, gave a detailed explanation for her opposition to the First World War in "The Workers and the War" of 1916 when that war was at its height and its outcome unclear. What were her objections as outlined in that writing? Why did she see it as a defeat for working people in all countries? Why did she dispute the claims that a German victory even if it occurred would not make the sacrifices of the war worthwhile? What did she see as the war's likely consequences for Europe and the world as a whole? Finally, to what degree did the war and its aftermath as explained in pp. 513-531 of Edward Berenson's Europe in the Modern World prove or disprove what Luxemburg said in 1916? Based on a detached analysis of what Luxemburg predicted and what actually happened during and after World War One, is she better seen as far-sighted and enlightened, as the dangerous and destructive person her enemies accused her of being, or as something else? Use examples from the assigned texts and be specified about the reasons for your conclusions.

Rosa Luxemburg, The War and the Workers, 1916

Modern History Sourcebook: Rosa Luxemburg: "The War and the Workers"-- The Junius Pamphlet, 1916.