Ninety years ago the German revolution began with a naval mutiny in Kiel. Sailors and dockers surged through the streets and took control of the town. Within a week sailors', soldiers' and workers' councils sprung up in most of Germany's major towns, including Berlin.
In order to crush the movement, the black forces of reaction decided that it had to be beheaded. In co-operation with the Social Democratic government minister Philipp Scheidemann an unofficial price of 100,000 German marks was put on the heads of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.
On 15 January, 1919, they were arrested. Karl was shot, allegedly while trying to escape. Then an officer used his rifle butt to smash Rosa's skull. Her corpse was thrown into the Landwehr Canal. The German proletariat had lost two of its most outstanding leaders.
This year's commemoration demo at the cemetery where they are buried is expected to be very large. The IMT Winter School will combine a large variety of seminars with participation in the commemoration.
The program
Friday, 9th January
Already on Friday the 9th we will organise a walking tour "History of 20th century Berlin" (starts at 2pm).
Saturday, 10th January
The seminars:
| 10.00-12.30: First session | Dialectical materialism | The German Revolution; KPD, USPD and the united front 1918-23 | Rosa Luxemburg on how to build a revolutionary party | The life of Rosa Luxemburg | The financial crisis and its political consequences | Hungarian revolution 1919 |
| 13.30-16.00: Second session | Marxism and Religion | The German Revolution (a more specific topic will be found) | 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall (walking tour) | Rosa on Reform and Revolution | Nationalization and workers' control | Woman and Revolution |
| 17.00-19.30: Third session | A Marxist view of art and culture | The Bavarian Soviet Republic | The Venezuelan revolution | Rosa Luxemburg and the struggle against war | 1968, a year of international revolution | The origins of the state, private property and the family |
Speakers include
- Alan Woods, editor of In Defence of Marxism
- Lal Khan, Pakistan
- Hans-Gerd Öfinger, Germany
- Greg Oxley, France
- Wojtek Fiegel, Poland
- Marie Fredriksen, Denmark
- John Peterson, USA
Sunday, 11th January
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Morning: Participation in the commemoration demo
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Afternoon: Filmscreening of the movie "Rosa Luxemburg"
Accommodation and cost
Accommodation and the seminars will be at a hostel. The cost for two nights, sheets, three warm meals, two breakfasts and all the meeting rooms is only 55 Euros per person. For those that do not need accommodation the price of the school on Saturday will be 10 Euros including lunch or 15 including dinner.
See also:
- The German Revolution suffers its first defeat by Niklas Albin Svensson (December 22, 2008)
- German Revolution ends the horror of war by Niklas Albin Svensson (November 13, 2008)
- Order Prevails in Berlin by Rosa Luxemburg (1919)
- The Main Enemy Is At Home! by Karl Liebknecht (May 1915)
- Liebknecht’s Protest Against the War Credits by Karl Liebknecht (1914)
- Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg by Leon Trotsky (1919)
- Hands Off Rosa Luxemburg! by Leon Trotsky (June 1932)
- Germany: from Revolution to Counter-Revolution by Rob Sewell