HW#6 Luxemburg's Essay

“The madness will cease and the bloody demons of hell will vanish only when workers in Germany and France, England and Russia finally awake from their stupor, extend to each other a brotherly hand, and drown out the bestial chorus of imperialist war-mongers and the shrill cry of capitalist hyenas with labor’s old and mighty battle cry: Proletarians of all lands, unite!”

What Luxemburg is saying here is that the workers in Germany, France and Russia should wake up and unite with one another to put an end to the war. I chose this passage of the essay because she is promoting peace and union and degrading war.

1.      Why does Luxemburg believe the wars of 1871 affect the wars in 1914?

Luxemburg says that two lines of development in history led straight to the 1914 wars. One was the period when the national states/modern states were first constituted, from the time of the Bismarckian war against France. And “The war of 1870, which, by the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, threw the French republic into the arms of Russia, split Europe into two opposing camps and opened up a period of insane competitive armament, first piled up the firebrands for the present world conflagration.”

2. How does Luxemburg judge the claims made about "Russian despotism" supported by the SPD?
Luxemburg says “if Russian despotism, stained with the blood of its own people, should be the victor. This danger must be averted, the civilisation and the independence of our people must be safeguarded. Therefore we will carry out what we have always promised: in the hour of danger we will not desert our fatherland. In this we feel that we stand in harmony with the International, which has always recognised the right of every people to its national independence, as we stand in agreement with the International in emphatically denouncing every war of conquest. Actuated by these motives, we vote in favour of the war credits demanded by the Government.”

3. What is the relationship between nationalism and capitalism?

Nationalism is defined as loyalty to one’s nation, patriotism. While capitalism is defined as an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations. So the relationship between both would be that the loyalty that each has for its respective subject. Nationalism deals with loyalty to ones country to promote patriotism while capitalism deals with loyalty to ones business in order to make a profit.

4. Why does Luxemburg believe that the war supports the business interests of steel and the banks?

Luxemburg believes that the war supports the business interests of steel and the banks because the growth and effect of monopolies in the country. “The monopolies have organized the steel and iron industry, the branch of capitalist endeavor most interested in government orders, in militaristic equipment and in imperialistic undertakings (railroad building, the exploitation of mines, etc.)” In addition Europe had the most concentrated banking system in the world.