RELECTION OF “THE JUNIUS PAMPHLET” BY ROSA LUXEMBURG

RELECTION OF “THE JUNIUS PAMPHLET” BY ROSA LUXEMBURG

“One thing is certain. The world war is a turning point. It is foolish and mad to imagine that we need only survive the war, like a rabbit waiting out the storm under a bush, in order to fall happily back into the old routine once it is over. The world war has altered the conditions of our struggle and, most of all, it has changed us. Not that the basic law of capitalist development, the life-and-death war between capital and labor, will experience any amelioration. But now, in the midst of the war, the masks are falling and the old familiar visages smirk at us. The tempo of development has received a mighty jolt from the eruption of the volcano of imperialism. The violence of the conflicts in the bosom of society, the enormousness of the tasks that tower up before the socialist proletariat – these make everything that has transpired in the history of the workers’ movement seem a pleasant idyll.”

This quotation shows how the whole world (France, Russia, America, Britain, Germany and their allies) did not learn from the ruins of the World War I; but allowed their selfish interest of international imperialism, capitalistic gains blind fold them to another round of war so devastated in the history of human race.  Rosa Luxemburg was expressing her dismay at the political situation in Germany, America, and Europe which rubbished the efforts of the working class as well as the senseless massacre of soldiers. These soldiers who were the future – husbands, fathers, working class, skills, talents, and intellects were wasted.

 I am fascinated by this quote, because it reflects how the so called world powers at the time allowed themselves into another circle of senseless spending of money of ammunitions to kill their own people in the name of imperialist nationalism.  Despite, economy recession, psycho-socio problems, and enormous death to man power-resource due to World War I, the world was plunged into another round of wastage.    This Rosa Luxemburg quotation relates to the present time world politics with Russian flexing muscles against Ukraine this year many lives were lost and this draws the attention of Britain, American and other friends of that country.  Another example is the Palestinian versus Israelis shedding; the Arab countries were plunged into series of wars both internal and international. This indeed according to Luxemburg, “foolish and mad to imagine…, like a rabbit waiting out the storm under a bush, in order to fall happily back into the old routine once it is over.”