Come to the International Marxist Tendency’s Fifth Winter School in Berlin (10-11 January 2009)

The January 2009 commemoration of the assassination of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht at the cemetery where they are buried is expected to be very large. The IMT Winter School is combining a large variety of seminars with participation in the commemoration.

Ninety years ago the German revolution began with a naval mutiny in Kiel. Sailors and dockers surged through the streets and took control of the town. Within a week sailors', soldiers' and workers' councils sprung up in most of Germany's major towns, including Berlin.

Come to the Luxemburg Liebknecht demo!In order to crush the movement, the black forces of reaction decided that it had to be beheaded. In co-operation with the Social Democratic government minister Philipp Scheidemann an unofficial price of 100,000 German marks was put on the heads of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

On 15 January, 1919, they were arrested. Karl was shot, allegedly while trying to escape. Then an officer used his rifle butt to smash Rosa's skull. Her corpse was thrown into the Landwehr Canal. The German proletariat had lost two of its most outstanding leaders.

This year's commemoration demo at the cemetery where they are buried is expected to be very large. The IMT Winter School will combine a large variety of seminars with participation in the commemoration.

The program

Friday, 9th January

Already on Friday the 9th we will organise a walking tour "History of 20th century Berlin" (starts at 2pm).

Saturday, 10th January

The seminars:

10.00-12.30: First session

Dialectical materialism

The German Revolution; KPD, USPD and the united front 1918-23

Rosa Luxemburg on how to build a revolutionary party

The life of Rosa Luxemburg

The financial crisis and its political consequences

Hungarian revolution 1919

13.30-16.00: Second session

Marxism and Religion

The German Revolution (a more specific topic will be found)

1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall (walking tour)

Rosa on Reform and Revolution

Nationalization and workers' control

Woman and Revolution

17.00-19.30: Third session

A Marxist view of art and culture

The Bavarian Soviet Republic

The Venezuelan revolution

Rosa Luxemburg and the struggle against war

1968, a year of international revolution

The origins of the state, private property and the family

Germany: from Revolution to Counter-Revolution
Germany, from Revolution to Counter-Revolution Buy the book from Wellred
Germany: from Revolution to Counter-Revolution
Authors Introduction
The Rise of Organised Labour
In The Throes of Revolution
Counter-Revolution Raises its Head
The Kapp Putsch
The Crisis of 1923
Stabilisation
Fascisms Rise to Power
The Nazi Terror
Postscript
Chronology
Glossary

Speakers include

  • Alan Woods, editor of In Defence of Marxism
  • Lal Khan, Pakistan
  • Hans-Gerd Öfinger, Germany
  • Greg Oxley, France
  • Wojtek Fiegel, Poland
  • Marie Fredriksen, Denmark
  • John Peterson, USA

Sunday, 11th January

  • Morning: Participation in the commemoration demo

  • Afternoon: Filmscreening of the movie "Rosa Luxemburg"

Accommodation and cost

Accommodation and the seminars will be at a hostel. The cost for two nights, sheets, three warm meals, two breakfasts and all the meeting rooms is only 55 Euros per person. For those that do not need accommodation the price of the school on Saturday will be 10 Euros including lunch or 15 including dinner.


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