In this first issue of 1969 we celebrate two anniversaries: the fiftieth anniversary of the murder of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, and the tenth anniversary of the victory of the Cuban revolution. One is a very sad occasion, the other a joyous one. However, they both have common lessons for socialists. What is strikingly common to both is the internationalism of the main socialist figures concerned. Rosa and Karl were a living embodiment of the slogan: "Workers of the World, Unite!" They earned the hatred of the German bourgeoisie and its agents because they refused to follow the chauvinist road of the majority of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. But more than that, they organised an internationalist wing within the German Labour movement. Their activities played a significant part in the collapse of German imperialism in 1918.
The significance of Cuba today is that for the first time since the early days of the Russian revolution there is a leadership of a workers state that realises that the destiny of its revolution lies in the spread of that revolution. This is a very powerful form of internationalism that has earned Fidel Castro and other Cuban leaders the hatred of American imperialism and its agents.
Karl and Rosa embodied, as do the leaders of the Cuban revolution, a will to fight. Just as Rosa told her friends that she wanted to die in action, so Fidel Castro has shown by his actions that he is ready to fight, with gun in hand, against the imperialist colossus, only 90 miles away.
Just as we recognise that Rosa made many mistakes we can recognise the heroic features of the Cuban leadership without remaining uncritical. But we say this: we are proud to carry on the traditions of Karl and Rosa, just as we are proud to be the champions of the Cuban revolution. We hope that when the test comes we show the same courage and fighting spirit as Rosa, Karl, Fidel, Che and the many other internationalists we commemorate in this issue.