The First International occupies a place of prime historical importance in the Socialist and Communist world movement. Preceding it, small sects of reformers, utopians and pure and simple trade unionist dominated the workers movement with their eclectic amateurishness. Under the umbrella of the International these small, nationally splintered sects were influenced to a profound degree by Karl Marx. Through his conscious intervention, scientific socialism began its fusion process with the workers movement and demarcated itself from the theoretical disorder that had previously prevailed. From this base, the growth of working class parties throughout the world was stimulated and the influence of Marxism insured. Without a grasp of the First International’s significance the rest of our movement’s history will remain obscure. As the first international Marxist formation its importance is truly decisive.
1. What kind of struggles did scientific socialism wage within the First International to establish its theoretical predominance?
2. Discuss Marx’s view of sectarian groups in stable conjunctures and its relevance to our period of party-building.
3. How do the rules of the I.W.M.A. reflect the conjuncture in which they were produced and what does this say for the degree of theoretical development at the time?
4. Discuss economism and the relation of economics to politics in the last part of Marx’s letter to Bolte.
5. What can we learn by contrasting the localism of our movement to the nationally splintered sectarianism of Marx’s time?
6. How can we assess and compare the stable conjuncture of our time to that of Marx?
John Lewis, Chapter: “The International,” from The Life and Teachings of Karl Marx, pp. 157-172. (John Lewis is a leading revisionist philosopher in the British Communist Party).
Three Texts by Karl Marx:
“Inaugural Address of the (founding conference) International Working Men’s Association”,
“General Rules of the International Working Men’s Association,” pp. 5-15.
“Letter to Bolte, November 23, 1871,” pp. 542-548.