Karl Liebknecht13 August 1871-15 January 1919 Karl Liebknecht - that means uncompromising struggle against militarism and imperialist war, that means an irreconcilably attitude against opportunism. For the foundation of the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) and in the fields of work in the youth, Karl Liebknecht made a lot of theoretical and practical contributions. In addition to many important articles about the problem of the youth, Karl Liebknecht was among the founders of the Socialist Youth Internationale and president for many years as well as active member of the Second International. Karl Liebknecht was born on August 13, 1871 in Leipzig/Germany as the son of Wilhelm Liebknecht, an important leader of the German workers´ movement. This way, he was linked closely with the struggle for socialism from childhood on; his godfathers were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. He studied jurisprudence and economics in Leipzig and Berlin and opened a law firm in Berlin after his doctorate. Soon, he became well-know and respected among the working class as a political lawyer and Berlin town councilor. In 1907, Liebknecht was sentenced to one-and-half year of prison because of its article "Militarism and Antimilitarism". He defends himself and is elected to the Prussian chamber of deputies when still being in prison and later on, in 1912, to a member of parliament. In the Reichstag, he sharply criticizes the preparations for war of the German bourgeoisie. On December 2, 1914, he is the only Member of Parliament in the Reichstag, who rejects the war credits. The SPD took more and more openly a opportunist and reformist line and Liebknecht and his comrades fought determinedly against it. The founded the group "International" and later the "Union of Spartacus" from which later came out the Communist Party of Germany. Karl Liebknechts contribution to the working out of the theoretical and practical bases of the KPD are of a big importance. Karl Liebknecht fought untiringly against the imperialist war threat; he organized demonstrations, wrote and spoke at mass meetings. He was sentenced because of high treason and passed two years in prison. Shortly before the November Revolution, Liebknecht is released and becomes an important leader of the uprising of the masses. On November 9, 1918, he calls out the "free socialist Republic" from the balcony of the Berliner Castle. The German bourgeoisie new perfectly well, that their power is built on sandy ground and did not underestimate the role of the leaders of the proletariat. In the night of January 15, Karl Liebknecht was kidnapped and murdered together with Rosa Luxemburg by the participation of soldiers from the SPD. But you cannot stop the course of history, not even with violence. Every year in January, ten thousands stream to the memorial of the socialists in Berlin and keep the memory of the two great revolutionaries alive.
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