Massenstreik, Partei und Gewerkschaften

Rosa Luxemburg opens a sweeping investigation into the role of the mass strike within the modern workers’ movement. She traces how early socialist thinkers, from Engels to the French and Belgian activists of 1848, framed the general strike as a dramatic lever for revolution, yet often dismissed it as impractical without a fully organized party and a solid financial base.

Luxemburg then contrasts that historic skepticism with the recent Russian experience, where mass strikes have become a concrete tool for expanding political struggle rather than a theatrical shortcut to upheaval. By examining the successes and limits of strikes in Germany and elsewhere, she argues that organized parties and unions can turn spontaneous walk‑outs into disciplined pressure that reshapes parliamentary battles.

The essay invites listeners to follow her rigorous debate over strategy, organization, and the lived realities of workers, offering a window onto early 20th‑century debates that still echo in today’s labor discussions.