After years of political agitation, Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht, and Leo Jogiches form a revolutionary German party, the Spartacists.

Wronke Prison, 1916. Social democrat Rosa Luxemburg faces a mock execution. Twenty years earlier, Rosa's political gifts are acknowledged by everyone, as she struggles for democratic government in Germany and revolution in Poland. There she works closely with Leo Jogiches. Their political activity creates some difficulty for their personal relationship - As international tensions rise, Rosa makes speeches denouncing war and militarism. She seems too radical for her fellow Socialists. She meets Karl Liebknecht. When World War I begins, Rosa and Karl are united in opposition.—David Carless

Rosa Luxemburg (1870-1919) is in a German prison during World War I where she writes, remaining optimistic, giving strength to the small Spartacus League she founded to oppose the war. Flashbacks trace her work in Warsaw and arrest there, her move to Berlin, her friendships and two love affairs. Her energy is palpable, as are her oratory, the clarity of her analysis, her empathy in simple human interactions, and her purpose. When the war ends, she's vindicated: Social Democrats take power, and she's released from prison. But over her objections, Karl Liebknecht moves the new Communist Party into confrontation too quickly, and they are arrested. This time it's not prison she faces.—<[email protected]>