Luxemburg, << LUHK suhm `burg,` >> Rosa (1871-1919), was a German socialist writer and revolutionary. She was a follower of Karl Marx, the founder of revolutionary Communism.
Luxemburg was born on March 5, 1871, in Zamosc, Poland, and became acquainted with Marx’s writings after graduating from high school. At the age of 18, she fled to Switzerland to avoid arrest for political activities. Luxemburg received a doctorate in economics from the University of Zurich in 1898. That same year, she moved to Germany and joined the German Social Democratic Party. She became known as a brilliant writer and speaker.
Luxemburg spent most of the period of World War I (1914-1918) in prison for antiwar activities. She was released briefly in 1916. During this period, Luxemburg helped establish the Spartacus Party, a more revolutionary wing of the Social Democratic Party. The Spartacus Party was named after the leader of a slave uprising in ancient Rome. In 1918, Luxemburg helped found the German Communist Party and its newspaper, Rote Fahne (Red Flag). She was killed on Jan. 15, 1919, in Berlin during a workers’ revolt against the government.
