Reform or Revolution? is an 1899 pamphlet by radical Marxist theorist Rosa Luxemburg.
Through a nuanced analysis of class struggle, imperialism, and the dynamics of capitalism, Luxemburg argues that trade unions, reformist political parties and the expansion of social democracy-while important to the proletariat's development of class consciousness-cannot create a socialist society as Eduard Bernstein, among others, argued.
This short but powerful work remains a key text for those interested in understanding the complex interplay between reformist and revolutionary strategies in the pursuit of social justice.
In 1919, at age 47, Rosa Luxemburg was assassinated by a right-wing paramilitary force following the events of the Spartacist uprising in Berlin. She is remembered for her writings on imperialism and revolution, and as a champion of socialist democracy who famously stated, "Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently."