All Topics  
Spartacist League

 
Spartacist League

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Spartacist League
 
 
  Topics Spartacist League Topic Home

The Spartacist League (Spartakusbund in German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
) was a left-wing Marxist
Marxism

Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxism holds at its core a Marxist analysis of Critique of capitalism and a theory of social change....
 revolutionary movement organized in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 during and just after the politically volatile years of World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. The League was named after Spartacus
Spartacus

Spartacus , according to Roman historians, was a slave and gladiator who became the leader in the somewhat successful slave uprising against the Roman Republic known as the Third Servile War....
, leader of the largest slave rebellion of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
. It was founded by Karl Liebknecht
Karl Liebknecht

was a German socialist and a co-founder of the Spartakusbund and the Communist Party of Germany....
, Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg

Rosa Luxemburg was a Poland Germany Marxist theory, Socialism philosopher, and revolutionary for the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, the German Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Communist Party of Germany....
, Clara Zetkin
Clara Zetkin

Clara Zetkin, maiden name Eissner was an influential Socialism Germany politician and a fighter for women's rights.Until 1917 she was active in the Social Democratic Party of Germany, then she joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany and its far-left wing, the Spartacist League; this later became the Communist Pa...
, and others.

The League subsequently renamed itself the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands
Communist Party of Germany

The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period....
 (KPD), joining the Comintern
Comintern

The 'Comintern' was an international Communism organization founded in Moscow in March 1919. The International intended to fight "by all available means, including armed force, for the overthrow of the international bourgeoisie and for the creation of an international Soviet republic as a transition stage to the complete abolition of the Sta...
 in 1919. Its period of greatest activity was during the German Revolution
German Revolution

The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I. The period lasted from 1918#November until the formal establishment of the Weimar Republic in August 1919....
 of 1918, when it sought to incite a revolution similar to that of the Bolshevik
Bolshevik

Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists were a faction of the Marxism Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the 2nd Congress of the RSDLP in 1903 and ultimately became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union....
s in Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 by circulating illegal subversive publications, such as the newspaper Spartacus Letters.

mburg and Liebknecht—the son of SPD founder Wilhelm Liebknecht
Wilhelm Liebknecht

Wilhelm Liebknecht was a Germany social democrat, one of the founders of the SPD and father of Karl Liebknecht and Theodor Liebknecht....
—were prominent members of the left wing faction of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions....
 (SPD).






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Spartacist League'
Start a new discussion about 'Spartacist League'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Spartacist League (Spartakusbund in German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
) was a left-wing Marxist
Marxism

Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxism holds at its core a Marxist analysis of Critique of capitalism and a theory of social change....
 revolutionary movement organized in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 during and just after the politically volatile years of World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. The League was named after Spartacus
Spartacus

Spartacus , according to Roman historians, was a slave and gladiator who became the leader in the somewhat successful slave uprising against the Roman Republic known as the Third Servile War....
, leader of the largest slave rebellion of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
. It was founded by Karl Liebknecht
Karl Liebknecht

was a German socialist and a co-founder of the Spartakusbund and the Communist Party of Germany....
, Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg

Rosa Luxemburg was a Poland Germany Marxist theory, Socialism philosopher, and revolutionary for the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, the German Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Communist Party of Germany....
, Clara Zetkin
Clara Zetkin

Clara Zetkin, maiden name Eissner was an influential Socialism Germany politician and a fighter for women's rights.Until 1917 she was active in the Social Democratic Party of Germany, then she joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany and its far-left wing, the Spartacist League; this later became the Communist Pa...
, and others.

The League subsequently renamed itself the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands
Communist Party of Germany

The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period....
 (KPD), joining the Comintern
Comintern

The 'Comintern' was an international Communism organization founded in Moscow in March 1919. The International intended to fight "by all available means, including armed force, for the overthrow of the international bourgeoisie and for the creation of an international Soviet republic as a transition stage to the complete abolition of the Sta...
 in 1919. Its period of greatest activity was during the German Revolution
German Revolution

The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I. The period lasted from 1918#November until the formal establishment of the Weimar Republic in August 1919....
 of 1918, when it sought to incite a revolution similar to that of the Bolshevik
Bolshevik

Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists were a faction of the Marxism Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the 2nd Congress of the RSDLP in 1903 and ultimately became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union....
s in Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 by circulating illegal subversive publications, such as the newspaper Spartacus Letters.

History

Luxemburg and Liebknecht—the son of SPD founder Wilhelm Liebknecht
Wilhelm Liebknecht

Wilhelm Liebknecht was a Germany social democrat, one of the founders of the SPD and father of Karl Liebknecht and Theodor Liebknecht....
—were prominent members of the left wing faction of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions....
 (SPD). They moved to found an independent organization after the SPD supported the German government's decision to declare war on the Russian Empire
Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
 in 1914, beginning World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. Besides their opposition to what they saw as an imperialist
Imperialism

Imperialism has two meanings; one describing an action and the other describing an attitude.#Action: Imperialism is the practice of extending the power, control or rule by one country over areas outside its borders....
 war, Luxemburg and Liebknecht maintained the need for revolutionary
Revolutionary

A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavour....
 methods, in contrast to the leadership of the SPD, who participated in the parliamentary process.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917

The Russian Revolution is the series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union....
, the Spartacists decided to agitate for a similar course, a government based on local workers' councils, in Germany. Liebknecht and Luxemburg were imprisoned from 1916 until 1918 for their roles in helping to organize a public demonstration in Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
 against German involvement in the war. After the November revolution which overthrew the Kaiser
Kaiser

Kaiser is the German language title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". It is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' Caesar , which in turn is derived from the name of Julius Caesar....
, a period of instability began, which would last until 1923. Liebknecht declared a socialist republic
Republic

A republic is a state or country that is not led by a hereditary monarch but in which the people have an impact on its government. The word originates from the Latin term res publica....
 in Germany from a balcony of the Kaiser's Berliner Stadtschloss
Berliner Stadtschloss

The Stadtschloss , was a royal palace in the centre of Berlin, capital of Germany. It was the principal residence of the Kings of Prussia from 1701 and of the German Emperors from 1871....
 in November 1918—the same night that Philipp Scheidemann
Philipp Scheidemann

Philipp Scheidemann was a Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany politician, who proclaimed the Republic on 9 November 1918, and who became the second Chancellor of Germany of the Weimar Republic....
 of the SPD declared the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic was the democracy and republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933. Following World War I, the republic emerged from the German Revolution in November 1918....
 from the Reichstag
Reichstag (building)

The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag , the first parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a Reichstag fire supposedly set by Netherlands Communism Marinus van der Lubbe, who was later beheaded for the crime....
.

In December 1918, the Spartakusbund was officially renamed the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany

The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period....
 (KPD). In January 1919, the KPD, along with the Independent Socialists
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic....
, staged massive street demonstrations intending to destabilize the Weimar government, led by the centrists of the SPD under Chancellor Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert

Friedrich Ebert was a German politician , who served as Chancellor of Germany of Germany and its first President of Germany during the Weimar Republic period....
. The government accused the opposition of planning a general strike
General strike

A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour in a city, region or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or Social class sympathies of the participants....
 and communist revolution
Communist revolution

A communist revolution is a proletarian revolution inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace capitalism with communism, typically with socialism as an intermediate stage....
 in Berlin. The "uprising" was quickly crushed by the government, with the Freikorps
Freikorps

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 119-1983-0012, Kapp-Putsch, Marienbrigade Erhardt in Berlin.jpgThe designation of Freikorps was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of 18th century onwards....
 fighting on the side of the government. Luxemburg and Liebknecht were killed while held prisoner.

Prominent members

  • Leo Jogiches
    Leo Jogiches

    Leo Jogiches , also known by his party name of Leon Tyszka was a Marxism revolutionary active in Lithuania, Poland, and German Reich....
  • Paul Levi
    Paul Levi

    Paul Levi was a Germany Communist politician.Levi, born in Hechingen into a Jewish middle-class family, joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1906....
  • Julian Marchlewski
  • Franz Mehring
    Franz Mehring

    Franz Erdmann Mehring , was a Germany publicist, politician and historian.He worked for various daily and weekly newspapers and over many years wrote lead articles for the weekly magazine Neue Zeit....
  • Wilhelm Pieck
    Wilhelm Pieck

    Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck was a Germany communism and the first and only president of the East Germany....
  • August Thalheimer


See also

  • Council Communism
    Council communism

    Council communism is a far-left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s. Its primary organization was the Communist Workers Party of Germany ....
  • Left Communism
    Left communism

    Left communism is the range of Communism viewpoints held by the Communist Left, which opposes the political ideas of the Bolsheviks from a position that is asserted to be more authentically Marxism and Proletariat than the views of Leninism held by the Communist International after its first two Congresses....
  • Luxemburgism
    Luxemburgism

    Luxemburgism is a specific revolution theory within Marxism and communism, based on the writings of Rosa Luxemburg. According to M. K. Dziewanowski, the term was originally coined by Bolshevik leaders denouncing the deviations of Luxemburg's followers from traditional Leninism, but it has since been adopted by her followers themselves....


External links

  • by Rosa Luxemburg