International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different political and trade union organisations which were based on the working class. Originally it contained British trade unionists, anarchists, French socialists, Italian republicans and was organised by a small group around Karl Marx. Later disputes between Marx and Mikhail Bakunin, the most prominent anarchist in the International, led to a split between the Marxists and Bakuninists in which Bakunin's followers were ejected from the International. It was largely held responsible for the Paris Commune of 1871. Although this was not in fact true Marx did write a defence of the Commune. Following which the centre of the IWMA was moved to New York where it expired in peace.Second International
The Second International (Socialist International) is a collection of moderate leftist political parties. For example, the British Labour Party and the German Social Democrats are affiliated to it.
Third International
The Third International was the Communist International. Commonly referred to as Comintern, it was created at the behest of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for the express purpose of establishing Communist Parties in countries across the world. The first Communist International meeting was held in Moscow on March 2, 1917.
Fourth International
The Fourth International was created in 1938 by Leon Trotsky. It represents the Trotskyist strain of Communist thought, particularly Trotsky's ideas of Permanent Revolution.
