International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, social democratic, communist and anarchist groups and trade unions 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.
Logo first used by the Spanish IWA. | |
| Abbreviation | IWA |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Communist League |
| Successor | Second International (not legal successor) |
| Formation | 28 September 1864 |
| Founders | George Odger, Henri Tolain, Edward Spencer Beesly |
| Dissolved | April 15, 1876 |
| Legal status | Defunct |
| Purpose |
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| Headquarters | St James's Hall, Regent Street, West End |
| Location |
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Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 5–8 million |
Key people | Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Mikhail Bakunin, Louis Auguste Blanqui, Giuseppe Garibaldi |
Main organ | Congress of the First International |
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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, it split in two over conflicts between statist and anarchist factions and dissolved in 1876. The Second International was founded in 1889.