France, Alternative Libertaire AL #236 - Classics of subversion: Rosa Luxemburg, "Socialism in France? (fr, pt)

Agnone editions continue to Smolny reissue complete works of Rosa Luxemburg. The third 
volume focuses on Socialism in France. This book is a collection of articles written by 
Rosa Luxemburg on the French labor movement between the Dreyfus Affair and the 1914 war 
against Germany. ---- These articles mainly cover the various debates opposing currents of 
French socialist movement before its unification in the SFIO (French Section of the 
Workers' International) in 1905. On the one hand, there is the "hard", Guesde and Edouard 
Vaillant, who stand at the time a hard version of Marxism. On the other, there is the 
ministerialists or reformists, whose leader is Jean Jaur?s. ---- The first topic of 
discussion is that of ministerialism, that is to say, the opportunity for the labor 
movement to participate in a bourgeois and imperialist government.

This is what Alexander Millerand in 1898, supported by Jean Jaur?s. Luxembourg sharply 
criticized what it considers to be a compromise. Incidentally, it debunks the "honest 
reformism" Jean Jaur?s: it was a genuine reformist wanting to change things, then betrayed 
by unscrupulous successors. The examination of this text shows us the opposite: Jaur?s has 
always supported the most options to the right of the socialist movement. He does not 
hesitate to support multiple governments conducting anti-labor policies and challenge 
certain workers' rights, while supporting colonialism.

The argument in favor of all these compromises is the defense of the Republic face threats 
that the enemies of Dreyfus and the Church would. At a century apart, we find the 
blackmail of "useful vote". To defend the Republic against its enemies (FN), should 
abandon all ideas and to "dam". This book teaches us that the Social Democratic mimicry is 
not new but as old as the Socialist Party (SFIO called at the time).

This book has the advantage of showing us the corruption of French Socialists do not date 
from yesterday, and from the beginning, the worm was in the fruit. These pages we seem 
strikingly news when you see the compromises of the PS, but the Left Front.

We can still make two criticisms visions of Rosa Luxemburg. First, she speaks very little 
revolutionary syndicalists, accusing them of being anarchists, while this is the most 
interesting trend of the times. It also supports Guesde, which nevertheless compromise 
during the First World War, becoming Minister of Sacred Union systematically. Whatever 
happens, a healthy reading!

Matthijs (AL Montpellier)

o Rosa Luxemburg, Socialism in France , Agnone; Smolny, 2013, 302P, 22 euros