Pathfinder Press
Reform or revolution. (reprint, 1970)
This is a classic work originally published in 1900. Luxemburg, a young, Polish-born Jewish woman and founder of the Polish Social Democratic Party (SPD) had recently completed her doctorate in Switzerland and moved to Berlin where she became involved in the German SPD's growing battle over revisionism. This book is a response to the writings of Eduard Bernstein arguing against the necessity and inevitability of revolution, claiming that socialism can be achieved by gradual reforms to the capitalist system. Luxemburg argues that reform and revolution are not alternate paths to the same goal, but that they are different things with different goals, and that true social change requires revolution. Appended is an excerpt from Bernstein's Evolutionary Socialism, against which Luxemburg polemicizes. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)