“If indeed the socialist commonwealth were an impossibility, then mankind would be cut off from all further economic development. In that event modern society would decay, as did the Roman empire nearly two thousand years ago, and finally relapse into barbarism.

“As things stand today capitalist civilization cannot continue; we must either move forward into socialism or fall back into barbarism.”:rosa:

Born in southeastern Poland on 5 March 1871, Rosa Luxemburg was a towering figure of the classical socialist movement— a brilliant thinker, sharp-tongued rhetorician, and trailblazing leader of the proletarian cause. The famed socialist historian and journalist Franz Mehring once called her the “best brain after Marx”. Her comrade and dear friend Clara Zetkin described her as the “sharp sword, the living flame of revolution”. Even Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, with whom she often clashed, was compelled to acknowledge her status as an “eagle” of the Communist movement, at least in retrospect.

“Democracy is indispensable to the working class, because only through the exercise of its democratic rights, in the struggle for democracy, can the proletariat become aware of its class interests and its historic task.”:rosa:

She was, by all accounts, a truly unique figure. A Jew, a Polish woman, physically disabled and politically an irreconcilable Marxist—the obstacles to her pursuing her aims in life were legion, yet she rose to become one of the paramount leaders of the largest and strongest socialist movement in the Western world, German Social Democracy. In her short but brilliant career, she locked horns with the Prussian military elite several times and spoke as equals with Karl Kautsky, August Bebel, Victor Adler, and many other leading lights of socialism. As a political agitator she rallied masses of workers against capitalism and imperialist warfare, while also challenging Marxist orthodoxy as both a theorist and instructor at the Social Democratic party school in Berlin.

Yet since being cut down by proto-fascist thugs in January 1919, Luxemburg has been memorialized as a martyr for the revolution and a symbol of the tragic highs and lows of Germany’s twentieth century more than anything else. While her name and image remains iconic, her prodigious intellectual output and many contributions to socialist theory, have often been reduced to footnotes.

“Freedom only for the members of the government, only for the members of the Party – though they are quite numerous – is no freedom at all. Freedom is always the freedom of the one who thinks differently. Not because of any fanatical concept of justice, but because all that is instructive, wholesome and purifying in political freedom depends on this essential characteristic, and its effectiveness vanishes when ‘freedom’ becomes a special privilege.”

Megathreads and spaces to hang out:

reminders:

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  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
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  • 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can reserve a spot here nerd
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Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

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  • Kolibri [she/her]
    ·
    7 months ago

    venting

    cw: grief and depression

    I woke up really early because my dad coughing woke me up. I don't understand how he can say he's fine. I just wish he would get it looked at it. But no. Doesn't matter how many people try encouraging him to go see someone. Just like his drinking. Would be cool if I could just drag a doctor somewhere and bring said doctor here.

    but like besides that, I manage to fall back asleep despite being really hungry. and then I had dreams of my mom. and I hate how vivid they were. It felt like she was alive, and when I woke up again, I was very like, confused. before like waking up more and realizing that like she gone. and just quickly reprocessing that all.

    and this reminded me of like. why does my dad just not seem to care that like she dead? I know like they broke up like almost a decade ago because of his drinking. but like still. he knew her for at least some decades before that. and just nothing? nothing?? he didn't even want to go to her funeral, he only went because of me. of course doesn't help that like. one my siblings s.o threaten to beat my dad up and to stay away from said sibling over the phone.

    but just still. like. my sibling wasn't always around my mom. and when my mom was like dying. she said she was okay with seeing him. and it sounded like my mom wanted to see him. but like. did my dad ever show up to talk to her or to see her? no. not even in the hospital or when she was in hospice.

    trying to give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he just keeping it all to himself or something.. but a part of me really doubts that. I sometimes really hate being alive, I hate being here. just endless misery. well that not always true, there are some good moments in between it all. but still. sometimes it would just be nice to just, not be here.