International Workingmen's Association
Logo first used by the Spanish IWA.
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| Abbreviation | IWA |
|---|---|
| Successor |
Second International (not legal successor) |
| Formation | September 28, 1864 |
| Founders | George Odger, Henri Tolain, Edward Spencer Beesly |
| Extinction | 1876 |
| Type | Intergovernmental organization |
| Legal status | Defunct |
| Purpose |
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| Headquarters | St James's Hall, Regent Street, West End |
| Location |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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Membership
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5–8 million |
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Key people
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Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Mikhail Bakunin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Louis Auguste Blanqui, Giuseppe Garibaldi |
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Main organ
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Congress of the First International |
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA, 1864–1876), often called the First International, was an international organization which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist political groups and trade union organizations that were based on the working class and class struggle. It was founded in 1864 in a workmen's meeting held in St Martin's Hall, London. Its first congress was held in 1866 in Geneva.
In Europe, a period of harsh reaction followed the widespread Revolutions of 1848. The next major phase of revolutionary activity began almost twenty years later with the founding of the IWA in 1864. At its peak, the IWA reported having 8 million members, while police reported 5 million.
In 1872 the organization split in two over conflicts between communist and anarchist factions. It dissolved in 1876. The Second International was founded in 1889.
Following the January Uprising in Poland in 1863, French and British workers started to discuss developing a closer working relationship. Henri Tolain, Perrachon, and Limousin visited London in July 1863, attending a meeting held in St. James's Hall in honour of the Polish uprising. Here there was discussion of the need for an international organization, which would, amongst other things, prevent the import of foreign workers to break strikes. In September, 1864, some French delegates again visited London with the concrete aim of setting up a special committee for the exchange of information upon matters of interest to the workers of all lands.
On September 28, a great international meeting for the reception of the French delegates took place in St. Martin’s Hall in London. The meeting was attended by a wide array of European radicals, including English Owenites, French followers of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Louis Auguste Blanqui, Irish and Polish nationalists, Italian republicans, and German socialists. Included among the last-mentioned of this eclectic band was a somewhat obscure 46-year-old émigré journalist, Karl Marx, who would soon come to play a decisive role in the organisation.
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Wikipedia