The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-01-23
By /. ANITER.

L.
IN January IS. 1919 the social democrats OF
v Germany brutally murdered Karl Liebknecht
and Rosa Luxembourg. two revolutionary leaders
of the German working class. Karl 1ieoknecnt
fought against the world war, spoke and voted
against the war budget Drafted into the army,
he issued a manifesto to the German workers
telling them that their enemy was at home
the bosses On May Day, 1916, 1ieoknecht ap-
reared in civilian clothes and rallied the workers
of Berlin, particularly the young workers at
open mass demonstrations against the 1mper-
ialst war For this he was arrested by the
kaiser's officials, and sentenced to four and
half years Imprisonment The revolution that
is the driving out of the kaiser and the estao-
ushnent of a capitalist republican government
with social democrats at its head freed Lieb-
knecht,
But he was to lead peaceful life. LiebSnecht
fought and exposed the social democracy us
treachery through the four years OF war, ltS
treachery in forming a republican government
its treachery to the Councils OF workers and
Soldiers, formed after the pattern but not with
the content of the Russian SovietS. LleoKnecht
fought and incurred the bitter hatred OF the
social democrats who seized him and murdered
him in cold blood.
Rosa Luxembourg, leader OF the Polish WORKERS,
had to leave Poland to escape Punishment to
Siberia where the cars court wished to send
her With period of bitter fight against the
bet-yals of the socialists behind her, she fought
agr.-7st the world war, issuing document after
document and together with Liebknecht estao-
Ished the periodical of revolutionary MarXlsn-
the international Hunted and finally seized
by officers in the employ of the social demo-
cratic government together with Liebknecht she
was murdered by the enemies OF the WORKING
class.
at11 with he
leader Of the working class evolution-Lenin-
are the embodiment of the revolutionary insight
and fighting spirit of the working class, Lenin,
the man who after Marx, laid down the line
and strategy for the Proletarian Revolution
simplifying and celebrating Marks theories IN
their application to the period OF imperialism;
Liebknecht the working class leader, who bold
and unafrad faced the entire mob OF his tat
that hin1e) social democratic colleagues in the
Rechstac denounced them nd their imperialist
masters went into the streets, after release from
prison and rallied the youth against the bloody
war: Luxembourg the writer and speaker Who
not being in touch With the Russian comrades
made some serious errors, and yet helped to
Law down the line for the separation of the Ger
man working class revoutionsts from the re-
formists.
Today. the significance of the work of Lieb-
knecht and Luxembourg in the revolutionary
movement of Germany comes more to the fore
with social democracy In the progress of IL
years having turned openly social fascist and
in Germany being the sole prop OF the semi
fascist Bruening government, the role of Leb-
knecht and Luxembourg, together with that of
Klara zetkin and Mehring, in laying the basis
for the now powerful Communist Party OF Ger
many cannot be overestmated.
Today, the social democrats and socialists the
world over are conducting vicious fight against
the revolutionary workers, just as they did in
Germany after the world war, when they de-
yided the workers who organized into Councils
of Workers and Soldiers there was not yet
Communist Party, and then disbanded the coun-
ellis when the Weimar republican constitution
was adopted Today, the social democrats sup
port capitalist democracy against the rising
rebellion of the workers, who are suffering from