International association of the workers

The International association of the workers is the official name of the also known organization under the name of First International , founded the September 28th 1864 with London in Saint-Martin' S Hall. This organization disappeared following a scission occurred in 1872.

History

The installation

The first international organization by her members, the International association, founded with London in 1855 by was proscribed socialist French, German, Polish, English and Belgians. She lasted four years and was dissolved following the dissensions of certain members wishing the abolition of the Standing Committee.

In 1862, July 19th with the October 15th, French workmen are sent to London at the time of the World Fair to study the products and processes of English industry. Discovering the Trades Unions , it is born in the workmen the idea from a great association from the workers, which will be concretized two years later with the creation of the International association of the workers.

In France the law of the May 25th 1864 removing the offense of coalition in force since the French revolution (law the Hatter of the June 14th 1791) seems a time to support the working coalitions. Considered to be too liberal by the government of Adolphe Thiers following the Common , it will be finally replaced by the law Dufaure prohibiting the right to strike and any affiliation with HAS the March 14th 1872. The trade unions will be finally legalized by the law of the March 21st 1884.

The September 28th 1864, a European working congress is held in Saint-Martin' S Hall of London on the initiative of the British trade unionists of the Trades Unions . The decision is made there to create the International association of the Workers (which will be later called “First International”), which links elements of the Labor movement of various countries.

In its statutes of 1864 (written by Karl Marx), HAS it affirms that “the emancipation of the workers must be the work of the workers themselves” and states to act “for the final emancipation of the hard-working class, i.e. for the final abolition of wage-earning”.

In the daily fights, HAS it supports the movements and fights of the Travailleur S, the fights for the Vote for all, for the reduction of the Working time, against the Travail of the children.

Its press was mainly developed with the the United Kingdom, in Suisse, and Belgium - because of censure (and of the limitation, even prohibition, of the right of meeting) in France and Germany. Several lawsuits took place against militants of International, for example in France where fifteen members of HAS were condemned to 100 francs of fine each one for “prohibited constitution of association of more than twenty people”.

The first congress of the International association of the Workers is held with Geneva the September 3rd 1866 in the absence of Karl Marx. The claim of the limitation of the daily working time at 8 a.m. maximum is in particular adopted.

The development of the International one

International Anger is at the end of a few years divided between “mutuellists” and “collectivists” (or “Communists”). Thus, the second congress which opens with Lausanne on September 2nd, 1867 is crossed by divergences between the Swiss and French mutuellists and the English and German collectivists. And, at the time of a final motion, it is acquired that “the social emancipation of the workers is inseparable from their political emancipation”.

As of the end of the year 1867, the French government decides to counter the development of the International one. At the time of the first continuations (February 1868), Henri Tolain and the Parisian commission resign. They personified the mutuellism Proudhonien being wary with regard to the Grève S, hostile at the official institutions, favorable to the maintenance of the housewife - bases of the family… Those which will take over, with Eugene Varlin at their head, claim to exceed the mutuellism which, according to them, must lead to the Collectivisme and the Syndicalisme. In the French section, a anti-official Collectivisme succeeds the mutuellism.

IIIe congress which is held from September 6th to 13rd 1868 with Brussels, brings together delegates from Belgium, of France, of the United Kingdom, of Germany, of Italy, of Switzerland, of Spain. The congress marks the prevalence of the ideas trade unionists and collectivists. The International association of the workers declares there that it “is girl neither of a sect, nor of a theory. It is the spontaneous product of the proletarian movement” (text written by Karl Marx).

In 1868, Bakounine adheres to the Swiss section of HAS, and in 1869 HAS it integrates the members of his social democratic Alliance (which states car-to dissolve in order to integrate the International one). Bakounine writes in Marx on December 22nd, 1868: “My fatherland now, it is the International one, of which you are one of the principal founders. You thus see, dear friend, that I am your disciple, and I am proud to be it”.

HAS, which then gathers the various tendencies of the Socialisme, gradually will be divided between " Marxist " and " anarchistic " of tendency bakouninist. Errico Malatesta will comment on this division thus later: “We wanted, by a conscious action, to print with the labor movement the direction which seems to us the best, against those which believe in the miracle of the automatism and the virtues of the hard-working mass… We who in the International one, were designated under the name of bakouninists, and were members of Alliance, we shouted very extremely against Marx and the Marxists because they tried to make triumph in International the their particular program; but separately the honesty of the average employees and on which it is now useless to insist, we made like them, i.e. we seek to serve to us as International to achieve our goals of party. ” (Volonta, 1914)

At the time of IVe congress of Basle (6 September 12th 1869), one can appreciate the respective weight of each sensitivity. Starting from votes on the motions or amendments presented by these various “currents”, one can draw up the “power struggle as follows”:

  • 63% of delegated A.I.T gathers on texts collectivists known as “anti-authoritative” (“bakouninists”).
  • 31% gathers on texts collectivists known as “Marxist”.
  • 6% maintains their convictions mutuellists (proudhoniens).
The first two sensitivities are found on a proposal having milked with the socialization of the ground. Lastly, and unanimously, the congress decides to organize the Travailleur S in companies of resistance (trade unions).

From this period, Marx and Bakounine, which knew themselves since many years, start to be wary one of the other. “This Russian, that is clear, wants to become the dictator of the European labor movement. That it takes guard with him, if not it will be excommunicated” (letter of the July 27th 1869 of Marx with Friedrich Engels). “It could arrive and even within a very short time, which I engaged a fight with him… for a question of principle, in connection with the Communism of state… Alors, it will be a letter fight to the death” (of October 28th, 1869 of Bakounine with Herzen - it should however be noticed that in the same letter, Bakounine written in connection with Marx: “we could not ignore, me at least, the immense services rendered by him with the cause of the socialism, which it serves with intelligence, energy and sincerity since nearly twenty five years, in what it undoubtedly all exceeded us”).

The war of 1870 and the Commune were going only to delay the outcome of this opposition. Indeed, the events prevent the behavior of Ve congress which was to open with Paris in September 1870.

In France, the militants of International take an active part in the Commune, and number of them are killed during the bloody repression which follows the defeat. Very many militants of HAS are carried out, of many survivors condemned to the exile.

In same time, in April 1870, at the time of the regional congress of the French federation, will occur a scission: the Swiss delegates will divide on the attitude to adopt with regard to the governments and of the political parties. Some sentences extracted the two divergent resolutions express well this opposition which, from local, was going to gain all the movement. For the bakouninists,

any participation of the working class in the governmental policy middle-class can have of another existing result only the consolidation about the things, which would paralyze the socialist revolutionary action of the proletariat. The French congress orders from all the sections of a.I.T to give up any action having for goal to operate the social transformation by means of the national political reforms, and to carry all their activity on the federative constitution of trade association, only average to ensure the success of the social revolution. This federation is the true representation of the work, which must take place apart from the political governments absolutely.

Contrary, the “Marxists” affirm:

the political abstention is disastrous by its consequences for our common work. When we profess the political intervention and the working candidatures, we want to only to serve us as this representation as of a means of agitation which should not be neglected in our tactic. We believe that individually each member must intervene, as much as doing it can, in the policy.

The General advice of London will try to avoid the confrontation, and reminds the bakouninists that the statutes of HAS regard the political action as a means of emancipation. But, quickly, this conflict will overflow the Swiss borders. The “bakouninists”, from now on called “Jurassic”, will meet active sympathies in France, Spain and Belgium. Attempts at conciliation within the section French, then to the conference of London in 1871, will fail. The General advice of London enjoint then to Jurassic to melt itself in the approved federation of Geneva. In the name of the statutory principle of Autonomie, the Jurassic ones are obstinated, and refuse that there is only one Swiss section of the International one.

The scission

As of on September 6th, 1871, the Jurassic ones are put in margin of a.I.T by adopting new statutes, and by disputing the general advice which they describe as “hierarchical and authoritative”.

In the Alleged scissions in International the , the general advice denounces the methods of “Jurassic”, members of social democratic Alliance: “All the Socialists understand by anarchy this: the goal of the proletarian movement, the abolition of the classes, once reached, the capacity of the State which is used to maintain the large majority producing under the yoke of an operating minority very few, disappears and the governmental functions are transformed into simple administrative offices. Alliance takes the thing with the wrong way. She proclaims Anarchy in the proletarian rows like the most infallible means to break the powerful concentration of the social forces and policies between the hands of the exploiteurs. Under this pretext, she asks International, the time when the old world seeks to crush it, to replace her organization by Anarchy. ” ( Alleged scissions in International the , text adopted by the general advice, primarily written by Karl Marx. Published at Geneva, 1872).

The scission will take place at the beginning of September 1872 at the time of VIIIe congress, with $the Hague. The place of the congress causes already oppositions (many federations thought that it would be held in Suisse). The Jurassic ones elect imperatively James Guillaume and Adhémar Schwitzguebel to present their “anti-authoritative” motion to the official congress and to withdraw themselves in the event of negative vote. The congress gathers 65 deputy of ten country. Because of the semi-official maintenance of their autonomous international structure (social democratic Alliance), Bakounine and Guillaume are excluded. The general advice is transferred to New York. Militants and federations are solidarized with excluded and leave then HAS it.

After weakening due to the repression which follows the failure of the Commune, this scission will be fatal with the First International one, which will die out gradually.

The dislocation of HAS

International known as “anti-authoritative” will be born. The Jurassic Fédération will be the point of regrouping of the hostile federations at the general advice. It is around it that will mature the ideology Anarchiste which then asserts name of “revolutionary collectivism”, wanting to be the promoter of an economic system self-managed apart from any authority, of any centralization, any state. The constitution of this international news takes place with Saint-Imier on September 15th, 1872. Y are represented the Spanish, Italian and Jurassic federations, several French sections and two sections of America. The Congrès of Saint-Imier gives itself like objective “the destruction of any political power by the revolutionary strike”.

International the “official one” denounces this scission. The general advice convenes a general congress on September 8th, 1873, in Geneva. The thirty deputy ones which assists to with it represent almost only themselves. “The fiasco of the congress of Geneva was inevitable…. The events and the inevitable evolution and involution of the things will provide with themselves for a resurrection with International” (letter of Marx with Friedrich Sorge of September 27th, 1873 - Marx was itself absent with this congress, as with almost all the congresses of A). “The international old woman is completely finished and ceased existing” (letter of Engels with Sorge of September 12th, 1873). July 15th, 1876, the congress joins together in Philadelphia decides the car-dissolution of the International one.

April 27th, 1873 is convened in Neuchâtel a “Life congress of a.I.T. ”, to which delegates assist representing the federations of England, of Belgium, of Holland, of Switzerland, of Spain, of Italy and France. The congress decides for the complete abolition of any general advice and, a contrario , for the autonomy of the federations. To supplement the organisational structure of association, it is decided that apart from the congresses, the tasks of coordination will be entrusted to the office of a federation.

It is at the time when he saw his ideas triumphing that Bakounine decided to be withdrawn: “I have the conviction that the time of the great theoretical speeches passed. In the nine last years, one developed within International more ideas than one would not need of it to save the world, if the ideas alone could save it. What imports above all today, it is the organization of the forces of the proletariat”.

A “VIIe congress of International” meets in Brussels from September 7th to 12th 1874. One will retain of it that Italy, saying to follow in that the recommendations of Bakounine, decides to prepare to pass to the acts. On the other hand, under the influence of the Belgian section, a bringing together is considered useful with the democratic parties and Socialiste S. This debate will be clarified little by little during the three following years. It will lead in fact to the dislocation of this Internationale news.

Thus during the “VIIIe congress” (26/October 27th, 1876 in Bern), César De Paepe and the Belgian section makes admit the project of convocation of a socialist congress to which representatives of the organizations Communiste S. Italian would assist, as for them, decided to pass to the action by using the tactics of the “insurrectionary fact”. It will be the epopee of the Bénévent in April 1877 and its failure: about thirty armed anarchists occupy two villages, the files burn some and “issue” the revolution. One week later, the insurrectionists, stiff and famished will be captured without offering resistance. But this failure was not without a future. In June of the same year, Costa and Paul Brousse define and explain what will be “propaganda by the fact”. The current Anarchist-trade unionist was then too weak to propose its theories of actions Auto-gestion naires or communalists.

Contrary, the politically pure anarchistic minority and lasts, continued. It had for it the guarantee of the last messages of Bakounine which it interpreted often narrowly; it was also based on the attraction which then exerted in Europe, violent practices of the nihilist Russian. These divergences on the strategy to be adopted will lead to extreme standpoint. When the Belgian, Dutch and English federations agree to return to a more political design, plus legalist of the action, Kropotkine affirms that it is necessary to promote “the permanent revolt by the word, the writing, by the dagger, rifle, dynamite…” (Revolted the n° 22).

The “IXe congress” held with Verviers in 1877, gathers in fact eleven delegations won over to the new radical ideas. The representatives of the federations of Italy, from France, from Germany, from Switzerland, from Egypt and Greece only will intend themselves to be opposed negatively to the tendency which had preached the bringing together with respect to the parties: “All the parties form a mass reactionary… it acts to fight them all”. The agreement was thus impossible with the thirty five deputy “Marxists” and Socialists who meet a few days afterwards in Ghent at the time of the universal socialist congress. The delegates of the congress of Verviers are minority there. They see the Belgian federation and the Flemish sections to leave their international, regarded as annexed by the anarchists, to adopt the Marxism. “The congress of Ghent had at least that of good that Guillaume and company were completely given up by their old allies”. (letter of Marx with Sorge 27.09.1877).

The anarchistic militants most active turn to a type of individual actions, the Propagande by the fact, which will cut them Labor movement. The the Jurassic Federation, still most active, considers it even useless to prepare the congress envisaged in 1878.

Posterity of the First International one

A few years after the disappearance of HAS, the social democrat parties gather in the Internationale worker (known as “Second International”), under the impulse in particular of Friedrich Engels.

The trade-union organizations will do it later a few years within the international Trade union federation.

Some Anarchist-trade unionist S gather within a news International association of the workers, founded in 1923 with Berlin.

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