Second International

Keywords:Second International ⤷

SMW 🔍

Authors or organizations linked:

---

Alexander Parvus

Angelica Balabanoff

Anton Pannekoek

August Bebel

BRSDP (Bulgaria)

Belgian Labour Party

⨮

---

🔍 See also : First International, Third International and Fourth International.

Parties of the Second International

BRSDP (Bulgaria)

Belgian Labour Party

Belgian Socialist Party

Independent Labour Party

Italian Socialist Party

Labour Party (Norway)

Labour Party (UK)

PSD (Romania)

PSDMR

PSOE

Parti ouvrier français

Polish Socialist Party

RSDLP

SDAP (Netherlands)

SDAPÖ

SDKPiL

SFIO

SPD

Social Democratic Federation

Social Democratic Party (Finland)

Social Democrats (Denmark)

Social Democrats (Sweden)

Socialist Labor Party (Australia)

Socialist League (1884)

Socialist Party of America

---

Congresses of the Second International

1^st congress (Paris, 1889)

Two International Congresses took place in Paris in 1889 in the week of the 100^th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (14 July). This was originally due to an internal struggle within the French movement between the “Possibilists”, led by Brousse and Allemane, and supported by the British SDF; and the “Marxists”, led by Guesde and Lafargue, and supported by most of the German socialists and Engels.

Prelude

The French Marxists having no paper of their own at this time, much of the debate leading up to the congresses was conducted in the British socialist press. Engels was closely involved from the start, sometimes writing under his colleagues' names (in a letter to Sorge on June 8th 1889, Engels wrote "The first pamphlet, signed by Bernstein, was edited by me, like everything else that appeared in English on the subject".) His own letters provide a very detailed running commentary.

• A Critical Essay on the International Trade Union Congress, held in London, November 1888, by A. Smith (possibilist connected with the SDF)
• The 'Official' German Social Democrats and the Paris Congress. SDF reply to H. Rackow, March 1889
• Rackow's reply in the Commonweal, March 16th
• The International Working Men’s Congress of 1889. A Reply to Justice. A fuller reply by E. Bernstein
• The International Workers' Congress and the German Social-Democrats. A reply by H. Hyndman (SDF), April 6th
• Plain truths about the International Congress of Workers in Paris in 1889. Manifesto of the SDF, May 25th
• The International Working Men’s Congress of 1889. A reply to the Manifesto of the SDF. Signed by E. Bernstein in June 1^st
• The International Workers' Congress and the Marxist Clique. By H. Hyndman, June 15

The convocations

Possibilists and Marxists competed to show that they had inherited the right to call the Congress from earlier Congresses and conferences, and later, that they had support from the larger pool of worker organizations.

• The Possibilist convocation, April
• The Marxist convocation, May
• Attendance at the International Workers' Congress of 1889 (Marxist), June 8th

The Congresses

Both Congresses later published their proceedings.

• Proceedings of the 1889 International Congress (marxist)
  • Plekhanov's Speech
• Proceedings of the 1889 International Congress (possibilist)

Individual and Organisational Reports

In addition to the official minutes, a large number of further reports from an individual or personal point of view were published during or shortly after the event.

"Possibilist" Congress	"Marxist" Congress
The Times reports A report by Hyndman in the International Review An anonymous report in Justice A report by Harry Quelch in Justice A critique by John Burns in the Labour Elector	Impressions of the Paris Congress (William Morris in Commonweal) A Delegate's report (Frank Kitz in Commonweal) The Marxist Congress (Cunninghame Graham in the Labour Elector)

 

2^nd congress (Brussels, 1891)

Held 16-22 August The Marxist organising committee eventually decided to join the Possibilists in Brussels for the 1891 Congress.

• Report by the Gas Workers and General Labourers' Union; the Legal Eight Hours and International Labour League; the Bloomsbury Socialist Society; and the Battersea Labour League (Eleanor Marx)

 

3^rd congress (Zürich, 1893)

Held 6-13 August

• Report by the Gas Workers and General Labourers' Union; the Legal Eight Hours and International Labour League; the Bloomsbury Socialist Society; and the Battersea Labour League (Eleanor Marx)

 

4^th congress (London, 1896)

Held from July 21 to August 1^st

 

5^th congress (Paris, 1900)

Held 23-27 September

 

6^th congress (Amsterdam, 1904)

• Bebel Speech
• The International Socialist Congress by SPGB
• Report of the Australian Socialist League
• Report on Colonies and Dependencies, by Henry Hyndman
• Resolution against revisionism, based upon the SPD Dresden Resolution

 

7^th congress (Stuttgart, 1907)

Held August 18-24 1907

• Resolution on Militarism
• Accounts of the Congress by Lenin, in the Proletary and in the Kalendar dlya vsekh
• The International Congress and Colonial Policy, by Belfort Bax
• Ruin of India by British Rule, Report of the SDF by Henry Hyndman
• Emigration and Immigration, by Boris Frumkin
• Immigration at Stuttgart, by Louis B. Boudin

First international conference of socialist women, held 17 August

• The First International Conference of Socialist Women, by Alexandra Kollontai

 

8^th congress (Copenhaguen, 1910)

Held from 28 August to 3 September

• Proceedings of the Congress
• Copenhagen Conference, Announcement in Justice, 23 July 1910
• The International Conference, Report in Justice, 3 September 1910
• The Copenhagen Congress, Report by Harry Quelch in Justice, 10 September 1910

Second international conference of socialist women, held 26 August

• Proceedings of the conference
• The Second international women's conference, by Alexandra Kollontai
• Our Women’s Circle – Some Echoes of the International Socialist Women’s Congress, by Dora Montefiore

 

9^th congress (Basel, 1912)

Held 24-25 November

• Proceedings of the Congress
  • Jaurès' Speech, 24 November
• Manifesto against the war
• The Basel Congress, J.H.W., Justice, 30 November 1912

 

10^th congress - cancelled (Vienna, 1914)

Planned 23-29 August

• Imperialism and Arbitration, Report by Hugo Haase
• Other documents (in German, French and English)

 

Texts from the Second International

	Texts	Date
	Proceedings of the 1889 International Congress (possibilist)	Jul 1889
	Proceedings of the 1889 International Congress (marxist)	Jul 1889
	Dresden Resolution (1903) and Amsterdam Resolution (1904)	Jan 1904
	Resolution on Militarism adopted by the International Socialist Congress at Stuttgart	Aug 1907
∅	Proceedings of the 1910 International Socialist Congress	Aug 1910
	Manifesto of the International Socialist Congress at Basel	Nov 1912
∅	Proceedings of the 1912 International Socialist Congress	Nov 1912
	Proceedings of the Conference of the Three Internationals	Apr 1922

Texts mentioning the Second International

	Texts	Author	Date
	A Critical Essay on the International Trade Union Congress, held in London, November 1888	Adolphe Smith	Nov 1888
	Reply to Justice (conflict about the 1889 Congresses)	Heinrich Rackow	Mar 1889
	The 'Official' German Social Democrats and the Paris Congress	Henry Hyndman Social Democratic Federation	Mar 1889
	Convocation to the International Workers' Congress of 1889 (Possibilist)	FTSF	Apr 1889
	The International Workers' Congress and the German Social-Democrats	Henry Hyndman	Apr 1889
	Convocation to the International Workers' Congress of 1889 (Marxist)	Parti ouvrier français	May 1889
	Attendance at the International Workers' Congress of 1889 (Marxist)	Paul Lafargue Parti ouvrier français	Jun 1889
∅	Letter to Friedrich Adolph Sorge, June 8, 1889	Friedrich Engels	Jun 1889
	The International Workers' Congress and the Marxist Clique	Henry Hyndman	Jun 1889
	Speech at the International Workers’ Socialist Congress in Paris	Georgi Plekhanov	Jul 1889
	Proceedings of the 1889 International Congress (possibilist)	Second International	Jul 1889
	Proceedings of the 1889 International Congress (marxist)	Second International	Jul 1889
	The Times reports on the July 1889 “Possibilist” Congress in Paris	Unknown	Jul 1889
	The Marxist Congress (Cunninghame, 1889)	Cunninghame Graham	Jul 1889
	Impressions of the Paris Congress (Morris, 1889)	William Morris	Jul 1889
	The New International (Quelch, 1889)	Harry Quelch	Jul 1889
	The International Workers’ Conference (Justice, 1889)	Unknown	Jul 1889
	The International Congress of Workers (Hyndman, 1889)	Henry Hyndman	Aug 1889
	The Paris International (Possibilist) Congress	John Burns	Aug 1889
	The Paris Congress: A Delegate's Report (Kitz, 1889)	Frank Kitz	Aug 1889
	The International Workers' Congress of 1891	Friedrich Engels	Sep 1890
	Report from Great Britain and Ireland to the Delegates of the Brussels International Congress	Eleanor Marx	Aug 1891
	The Brussels Congress. The Situation in Europe	Friedrich Engels	Sep 1891
	Letter to Friedrich Adolph Sorge, September 14, 1891	Friedrich Engels	Sep 1891
	Letter to the National Council of the Socialist Workers' Party of Spain	Friedrich Engels	Sep 1892
	Report from Great Britain and Ireland to the Delegates of the Zürich International Socialist Worker’s Congress	Eleanor Marx	Aug 1893
	Closing Speech at the International Socialist Workers' Congress in Zurich	Friedrich Engels	Aug 1893
	Socialist Personalities: Sketches at the Zurich International Congress	Eleanor Marx Edward Aveling	Aug 1893
	More Socialist Personalities: The Women Delegates at the International Congress	Eleanor Marx Edward Aveling	Aug 1893
	What Are the Origins of May Day?	Rosa Luxemburg	Jan 1894
	Procession of Children for the Hyde Park Peace Demonstration	Eleanor Marx	Jul 1896
	The Polish Question at the International Congress in London	Rosa Luxemburg	Jul 1896
	The Socialist Crisis in France	Rosa Luxemburg	Jan 1901
	To the National Council of the French Worker’s Party	Rosa Luxemburg	May 1901
	Dresden Resolution (1903) and Amsterdam Resolution (1904)	Second International SPD	Jan 1904
	Colonies and dependencies: Report to the International Socialist Congress	Henry Hyndman	Aug 1904
	Report of the Australian Socialist League to the International Socialist Congress at Amsterdam	Daniel De Leon Socialist Labor Party (Australia) James Owen Moroney	Aug 1904
∅	Speech to the Amsterdam International Socialist Congress (Bebel)	August Bebel	Aug 1904
	The International Socialist Congress (by SPGB, 1904)	SPGB	Sep 1904
	Letter to the International Socialist Bureau, June 2, 1905	Lenin	Jun 1905
	Differences Among the Russian Socialists	Karl Kautsky	Jun 1905
	Letter to the Secretary of the International Socialist Bureau, July 3, 1905	Lenin	Jul 1905
	Letter to the International Socialist Bureau, July 4, 1905	Lenin	Jul 1905
	Letter to the International Socialist Bureau, July 8, 1905	Lenin	Jul 1905
	Letter to the International Socialist Bureau, July 24, 1905	Lenin	Jul 1905
	Keeping International Social-Democracy Informed of our Party Affairs	Lenin	Aug 1905
	Letter to the International Socialist Bureau, September 16, 1905	Lenin	Sep 1905
	Representation of the RSDLP in the International Socialist Bureau	Lenin	Sep 1905
	Letter to the International Socialist Bureau, October 27, 1905	Lenin	Oct 1905
	International Socialist Conferences of Women Workers	Alexandra Kollontai	Jan 1907
... further results