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Primary sourceNewspaper articleJuly 1896

The Polish Question at the International Congress in London

Rosa Luxemburg · July 1896

An 1896 article by Rosa Luxemburg on how international socialists should treat Poland's independence.

This early article shows Luxemburg's own political reasoning on Poland and international socialism.

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The Polish Question at the International Congress in LondonPDF · 7 pages
Rosa Luxemburg, "The Polish Question at the International Congress in London," 1896.

About this source

What it is

This is a short polemical article written by Rosa Luxemburg in 1896, first published in the Polish paper Sprawa Robotnicza and the Italian paper Critica Sociale. It addresses the debate within international socialism over supporting Polish independence, ahead of a congress of the International Workers' movement.

Why it matters

Written early in her career, this piece shows Luxemburg already engaged in debates over nationalism and internationalism that shaped socialist politics across Europe. It reflects her lifelong position that socialists should prioritize class struggle over national independence movements, a stance that put her at odds with many Polish socialists.

Look closer

  • Why might Luxemburg, who was Polish, have argued against prioritizing Polish independence?
  • What does publishing in multiple languages and countries tell you about the audience she was writing for?
  • What historical context would you need to fully understand her argument?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rosa Luxemburg on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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