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At the end of 1914 a group of socialists in Germany established an underground political organization called Spartakusbund (Spartacus League). Leading figures in the group included Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, Leo Jogiches, Franz Mehring and Clara Zetkin.
Members of the Spartacus League were on the left-wing of the Social Democrat Party and opposed the decision by the party to support Germany's involvement in the First World War. Like the Bolsheviks in Russia, members began arguing that socialists should turn this nationalist conflict into a revolutionary war.
The Spartacus League publicized its views in its illegal newspaper, Spartacus Letters, that was edited by Karl Liebknecht, whereas Rosa Luxemburg wrote the highly influential pamphlet, The Crisis in the German Social Democracy (1916).
On 1st May, 1916, the Spartacus League decided to come out into the open and organized a demonstration against the First World War in Berlin. Several of its leaders, including Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were arrested and imprisoned. They were not released until October, 1918, when Max von Baden granted an amnesty to all political prisoners.
In January, 1919, members of the group organized the Spartakist Rising in Berlin. Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the Social Democrat Party and Germany's new chancellor, called in the German Army and the Freikorps to bring an end to the rebellion. By 13th January the rebellion had been crushed and most of its leaders were arrested. Over the next few weeks Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, Leo Jogiches and hundreds of other members were executed without trial.
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