What Is Luxemburgism?
Luxemburgism follows the ideas of Rosa Luxemburg: revolutionary socialism that relies on the spontaneous mass action of workers and insists that socialism must be democratic. It is critical of both reformism and the… Part of the Socialist family.
Definition
Luxemburgism follows the ideas of Rosa Luxemburg: revolutionary socialism that relies on the spontaneous mass action of workers and insists that socialism must be democratic. It is critical of both reformism and the authoritarian methods of the Bolsheviks.
Atlas definition: written by The Ideology Atlas. Writers and movements define ideologies in different ways; this is a short working definition. Further reading: Wikipedia: Rosa Luxemburg.
Core ideas
- Revolution through mass working-class action.
- Socialism and democracy as inseparable.
- Criticism of party dictatorship and of reformism.
Origins
Germany in the early 20th century.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Luxemburgism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 9 | strongly toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 13 | strongly toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 21 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 17 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 31 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 7 | strongly toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 34 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 17 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 14 | strongly toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 9 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 9 | strongly toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 89 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 31 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 12 | strongly toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Major industries should be publicly owned rather than privately controlled. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Private ownership of businesses is essential to a successful economy. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Council Communism, Luxemburgism sits 12 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Eurocommunism, Luxemburgism sits 7 points further toward libertarian on the authority dimension.
- Compared with Eco-Socialism, Luxemburgism sits 12 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
Comparisons
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Luxemburgism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Rosa Luxemburg
- Wikipedia: Luxemburgism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Karl Marx
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Socialism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.