Capitalist Quote by Rosa Luxemburg
““Have private property, capitalist exploitation and class rule ceased to exist? Or, have the propertied classes in a spell of patriotic fervour declared: in view of the needs of the war we hereby turn over the means of production, the earth, the factories and the mills thereon, into the possession of the people? Have they relinquished the right to make profits out of these possessions? Have they set aside all political privileges, will they sacrifice them upon the altar of the fatherland, now that it is in danger? It is, to say the least, a rather naive hypothesis, and sounds almost like a story from a kindergarten primer. And yet the declaration of our official leaders, that the class struggle has been suspended, permits no other interpretation.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Rosa Luxemburg, “The Mass Strike” (1906)
The claim that war would end class exploitation is naive; capitalist structures persist despite rhetoric.
In simple terms: War doesn’t end class oppression.
Key Takeaway
Question the true motives behind wartime policies.
Themes
politics
class struggle
war
capitalism
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
political
historical
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- activism
- labor organizing
- historical study
Key Concepts
economic theory
ideology
propaganda
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence shows class interests dominate wartime decisions?
- How can workers resist co‑opted rhetoric?
A Different Perspective
Even in wartime, elites may exploit crises for profit.
![“...it was always our view that in order to attain this [proletarian revolution] and the other far more important aims of the future social revolution, the working class must first take possession of the organised political power of the state and by its aid crush the resistance of the capitalist…” quote by Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/458/friedrich-engels-8301_aids_it-was-always-our-view-that-in-order-to_258810.jpg)
