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Rosa Luxemburg, "Does Germany Need Colonies?" (1899)

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Based on these figures, our own colonies play only a minuscule role compared with our trade with Egypt and Cape Colony, as well as with the English, French, and Portuguese regions in Africa.

The above facts and figures show with the desired clarity that it wouldn’t make the least difference to our foreign trade if our entire battle fleet evaporated into thin air. And anyone who intends to try his hand at world politics should at least refrain from hypocritically referring to “trade interests.”



Source: Rosa Luxemburg, “Brauchen Wir Kolonien?” [“Does Germany Need Colonies?”], Leipziger Volkszeitung, December 4, 1899.

Original German text also reprinted in Rosa Luxemburg, Gesammelte Werke [Collected Works]. East Berlin: Dietz Verlag, 1970, vol. 1, pp. 642-43.

Translation: Adam Blauhut

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