She was a strong, belligerent woman – Rosa Luxemburg, the German-Polish politician, who was born 139 years ago today. Even as a young girl, Rosalia, as she was called with her full name, was interested in politics and was already active in illegal political groups in Warsaw as a schoolgirl. After studying in Zurich, she moved to Berlin, where she continued her political career. Her whole life long she felt a close affinity with the German workers’ movement, and worked to improve the living and working conditions of workers. She was very radical in the way she did this. As a member of the SPD, she did not shy away from arguing with the top men in her party. In 1913, as war loomed, she called on people to become conscientious objectors, which led to her being put in prison for a year. During the First World War she was arrested several times. Later, she was a co-founder of the German Communist Party. In January 1919, about half a year after the end of the First World War, the situation in Germany anything but safe. Rosa Luxemburg lived in constant danger of being arrested, but did not want to leave Berlin or stop her political activities. On 15 January 1919 she was arrested along with her political friend Karl Liebknecht, mistreated and murdered.