Rosa Luxemburg What Does the Spartacus League Want? Interpretation

"Out of all this bloody confusion, this yawning abyss, there is no help, no escape, no rescue other than socialism. Only the revolution of the world proletariat can bring order into this chaos, can bring work and bread for all, can end the reciprocal slaughter of the peoples, can restore peace, freedom, true culture to this martyred humanity. Down with the wage system! That is the slogan of the hour! Instead of wage labor and class rule there must be collective labor. The means of production must cease to be the monopoly of a single class; they must become the common property of all. No more exploiters and exploited! Planned production and distribution of the product in the common interest. Abolition not only of the contemporary mode of production, mere exploitation and robbery, but equally of contemporary commerce, mere fraud."

Written in December 1918, the Rosa Luxemberg, discusses the German people who suffered from WWI. The introduction goes into detail about the destruction of the war especially of the wounded and lost German soldiers. Many films during this time period hinted at the need for social reform, specifically the need for a strong leader. This quote begins to discuss the need for social reform contrary to what the media was portraying, socialism, the idea of people governing themselves. The author proclaims that the bourgeoisie are taking advantage of the proletariat. The proletariat class are the backbone of the German society, their hard labor is what is necessary for the economy to thrive and yet they are at the bottom of the barrel while the bourgeoisie are reaping all the benefits. 

The wage system should be abolished and replaced with the collective labor. The bourgeoisie should have to do just as much work as the proletariat, in fact people should work just to benefit the society as a whole not as a means to earn income. If people were able to work as they please and not just for the income there would be a lot of people who are happier to go to work. Since the proletariat class out number the bourgeoisie they would be the only people who can actually begin this process of revolt and reform.

Here we see nihilistic themes reoccur. The proletariat represent the followers of Nietzche's ideals. The proletariats are following the government blindly rather than recognizing the problems with the government especially one that models capitalism. The bourgeois, superhuman, are able to take misuse the proletariats for their own benefit.