Rosa Luxemburg

Although we commemorate those who died on Remembrance Day 11 November, the courage and sacrifice of those who fought to prevent World War One from ever happening and who tried to remove from power the criminals who had caused that war, and others that followed, is never acknowledged.

On Remembrance Day, 11 November Australians and people from some of the countries of the previous Britsh Commonwealth of nations, commemorate the courage and terrible sacrifice of those who fought in the war of 1914-1918. In that war, 18 million died, including 60,000 Australians, Back then that war was referred to as the "War to End War".

Those who labeled the First World War the "war to end war"were clearly naive at best. Barely 20 years later 60 million more people were to die in yet another even more horrific world-wide conflagration. Many other wars occurred right up to Remembrance Day 2017 and are continuing.

The courage and sacrifice of those who fought to prevent World War One from ever happening and who tried to remove from power the criminals who had caused that war, and others that followed, is never acknowledged.

Where is the commmoration for those sailors of the German Navy who rebelled against the German government on 3 November after being ordered to sail on a last suicidal battle against the British Navy? (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiel_mutiny.) Where is the commemoration of all thoser German workers who rose up in many parts of Germany over the next few days, making it impossible for the war to continue? Where is the commemoration of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebkencht who opposed the war at its outset? They were to lead the Spartakist uprising in Berlin from 1918 until when it was crushed by Freikorps mercenaries, many of whom were later to don the Nazi swastika. Where is the commemoration of their sacrifice?

Where is the commemoration of those French soldiers who were court-martialed and executed in 1917 for their mutiny against the war? Where is the commemoration of Australians and British who blocked their governments' plans to introduce conscription? Where is the commemoration of those German Communists who fought from 1919 until 1923 to wrest from power those who had led their country into war?

Clearly the ruling elites and their newsmedia only want us to commemorate the sacrifice of those who were duped into fighting and dying to further the selfish interests of those elites who sent them to war.

Kiel mutiny the soldiers' council of the Prinzregent Luitpold.

In 2016, much of the credit for the prevention of war can rightly be claimed by people labeled 'right-wing', 'far right' or 'extreme right'. Examples include Marine Le Pen of France, Nigel Farage of Britain and United States' President-elect Donald Trump.

Paradoxically, one hundred years ago, during the first inter-imperialist slaughter of 1914-1918, it was the Communist 'far left' that opposed war.

Whilst Australian histories tend to give credit to Australian soldiers led by General John Monash for defeating Germany on the Western Front in November 1918, the capitulation of Germany may, in fact, have been the result of the uprisings of 9 November 1918 in Germany led by the anti-war Spartakusbund of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. The Spartakusbund was later to become the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) or Communist Party of Germany.

The uprising was preceded on 3 November by a mutiny of German sailors, who refused to sail to fight a suicidal last battle against the British Royal Navy.

Sadly, the uprising in Berlin was crushed by right-wing Freikorps mercenaries and Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were executed by them on 1 June 1919.

A number of times in subsequent years, the German Communists came close to success. The last occasion was in September 1923 when German Reichswehr troops invaded Saxony and Thuringia to crush the strong communist movements in those states and to overthrow the elected left Social Democrat governments.

Had the German Communists succeeded in 1923, Adolf Hitler would have become a small footnote in history and the subsequent war in which 60 million were to die would have been prevented.