Reform or Revolution

*Reform or Revolution* is a political text by Rosa Luxemburg, first published in installments in 1899, that argues against achieving socialism purely through parliamentary reform. It responds to Eduard Bernstein's revisionist argument that socialism could be realized gradually.

The pamphlet is a direct critique of Eduard Bernstein, a prominent Marxist theorist who believed capitalism could be slowly reformed into socialism. Luxemburg argued that Bernstein's views would ultimately lead to the abandonment of the socialist goal.

Luxemburg argued that while trade unions and parliamentary reforms are useful for improving workers' lives under capitalism, they cannot dismantle the capitalist system itself. She maintained that a revolutionary transformation of society was still necessary.

Rosa Luxemburg first published the text as a series of articles in 1899, directly responding to Bernstein's theories. It was later issued in an expanded form as a pamphlet in 1900.