Rosa Luxemburg: “Occupation of All Positions of Power!”

The letters written before she takes up the task of responding to Bernstein reveals a woman who keeps before her the uprisings of enslaved workers attempting to free themselves from the stranglehold of the capitalists, the ruling class, while the SPD leaders were capitulating to the demands of the capitalists. (Sounds similar to the so-call �leadership� of unions and organizations and politicians today whose only interest is to appease the capitalists). In a letter to another friend, Clara Zetlin (after December 16, 1906), she is Rosa writing:

The masses, and still more the great mass of [party] comrades, in their hearts of hearts, have had their fill of parliamentarism. That�s the feeling I get. They would welcome joyously any breath of fresh air in party tactics. But the older authorities still weigh down heavily on them, and even more so, the upper stratum of opportunist editors, elected officials, and trade union leaders. Our task now is simply to counteract these authorities, who have become all rusted over, with protest that will be as rough and brusque as possible. And in doing this – such is the nature of the situation – we will be opposed not so much by the opportunists as by the Executive and by Bebel. As long as it was a matter of a defensive struggle, against Bernstein and Co., Bebel and the Executive were glad to have our companionship and assistance – because they themselves, more than anyone, were shaking in their boots. But when it comes to an offensive against opportunism, then the old timers stand with Ede [Bernstein], Vollmar and David against us.