7.3.5 Evolutionary Socialism and Capitalist Exploitation (Rosa Luxemburg)

Rosa Luxemburg, a key Marxist thinker and revolutionary socialist, strongly opposed the ideas of evolutionary socialism and revisionism. Unlike evolutionary socialists, who believed in achieving socialism through gradual reforms within the capitalist system, Luxemburg argued that this approach was fundamentally flawed. She believed that capitalism was inherently based on exploitation, and thus, true socialism could not be achieved without revolutionary change.

Evolutionary Socialism is the belief that socialism can be gradually achieved through democratic reforms and legislative changes within the existing capitalist system, rather than through revolution.

Revisionism refers to the modification of traditional Marxist theory, particularly the idea that socialism can be achieved through gradual, evolutionary means rather than the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism.

Human Nature

• Inherently Social and Cooperative: Rosa Luxemburg shared the Marxist view that human nature is inherently social and cooperative. She believed that people naturally thrive in communities where mutual aid and solidarity are emphasized over competition and self-interest.
• Social cohesion exists within social class
• Shaped by Class Struggle: Luxemburg argued that under capitalism, human nature is distorted by the conditions of exploitation and oppression. She believed that capitalism alienates individuals from their true nature, making them appear more selfish and competitive than they would be in a socialist society.
• Revolutionary Potential: Luxemburg was optimistic about the revolutionary potential of the working class. She believed that through the struggle against capitalist oppression, workers would become aware of their collective power and their capacity to create a society based on equality and cooperation.

Government

• Critique of Reformist Government: Luxemburg was highly critical of reformist governments that sought to achieve socialism through gradual reforms within the capitalist system. She believed that such governments ultimately served to stabilize capitalism rather than challenge it fundamentally.
• Workers reform under capitalism is insufficient as it leaves exploitation in tact.
• Revolutionary Government: Luxemburg advocated for a revolutionary government that would arise from the direct action and self-organization of the working class. She envisioned this government as a form of workers' democracy, where the proletariat would seize control of the state and use it to dismantle capitalist structures.
• This differs from Lenin who advocated for a revolution led by a vanguard as it would lead to a dictatorship.
• Democratic Control: Luxemburg emphasized the importance of democracy within the revolutionary movement and the future socialist state. She believed that true democracy could only be achieved when the working class controlled the government, and she warned against the dangers of bureaucratic and authoritarian tendencies that could arise even within socialist governments.

Society

• Classless Society: Luxemburg's ultimate goal was the creation of a classless society, where the exploitation and oppression inherent in capitalism were abolished. She believed that such a society would emerge from the collective struggle of the working class to overthrow the capitalist system.
• Revolutionary Consciousness: Luxemburg argued that the proletariat must develop a revolutionary consciousness to transform society. This consciousness would arise through active participation in class struggle, as workers became aware of their collective interests and power.
• Solidarity and Internationalism: Luxemburg was a strong advocate of international solidarity among workers. She believed that the struggle against capitalism had to be global, as capitalism itself was a global system. She opposed nationalist and chauvinist tendencies within the socialist movement, arguing that they divided the working class and weakened the revolutionary struggle.

Economy

• Rejection of Gradual Reform: Luxemburg rejected the idea that socialism could be achieved through gradual economic reforms within capitalism. She argued that such reforms would not change the fundamentally exploitative nature of the capitalist economy but would instead make it more resilient by placating the working class.
• Seizing the Means of Production: Luxemburg believed that the working class must seize control of the means of production through revolution. She envisioned a socialist economy where the means of production were collectively owned and managed by the workers themselves, rather than by the state or private capitalists.
• Planned Economy vs. Spontaneity: While Luxemburg supported the idea of economic planning under socialism, she also emphasized the importance of spontaneity and workers' self-organization. She was wary of overly centralized planning that could lead to bureaucracy and stifle the creative and democratic potential of the working class.

Critique of Evolutionary Socialism

• Rejection of Gradualism: Luxemburg rejected the notion that socialism could be achieved through gradual, incremental reforms. She argued that these reforms would not fundamentally alter the exploitative nature of capitalism but would instead serve to stabilize and perpetuate the capitalist system.
• The Inherent Exploitation of Capitalism: According to Luxemburg, capitalism is built on an economic relationship of exploitation, where the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) profits from the surplus value generated by the proletariat (working class). This exploitation is central to the functioning of capitalism, and therefore, no amount of reform could remove this fundamental injustice.
• Reforms as a Tool of Capitalism: Luxemburg argued that reforms within capitalism often serve to placate the working class, preventing the development of revolutionary consciousness. By improving conditions slightly, reforms might reduce the immediate pressures on workers, but they do not address the root causes of inequality and exploitation. In fact, she believed that reforms could make capitalism more resilient by reducing class conflict without changing the underlying power dynamics.

Critique of Revisionism

• Eduard Bernstein and Revisionism: Luxemburg's critique was particularly directed at Eduard Bernstein, a prominent socialist who advocated for revisionism—a rethinking of Marxist doctrine that emphasized achieving socialism through evolutionary, parliamentary means rather than revolution. Bernstein argued that capitalism could gradually evolve into socialism through social reforms and democratic processes.
• Luxemburg's Response: Luxemburg vehemently opposed Bernstein's revisionism, arguing that it betrayed the revolutionary essence of Marxism. She maintained that Bernstein's ideas were dangerously misleading because they underestimated the exploitative nature of capitalism and the necessity of revolutionary struggle.
• The Crisis of Capitalism: Luxemburg argued that capitalism is prone to crises—economic downturns, wars, and social unrest—that cannot be resolved through reforms. These crises, she believed, were inherent to capitalism and would eventually lead to its collapse. The role of socialists, therefore, was not to seek to reform capitalism but to prepare for its overthrow through revolution.

Key Quotes

• "Freedom is always, and exclusively, freedom for the one who thinks differently."
• "Being human means throwing your whole life on the scales of destiny when need be, all the while rejoicing in every sunny day and every beautiful cloud."
• "We will be victorious if we have not forgotten how to learn."
• "The victory of socialism will not descend like fate from heaven."