The Socialist International (SI) is a worldwide group which wants to establish democratic socialism. Most of its members are democratic socialist, social democratic, and labour political parties.

History 
Its name is from the Second International, which was formed in 1889 and dissolved on the eve of World War I in 1914.

Some of the Second International's most famous actions were its 1889 declaration of 1 May as International Labour Day and its 1910 declaration of 8 March as International Women's Day. The Second International was split by the outbreak of World War I.  A small part carried on as  the International Socialist Commission. The International re-formed in 1923 (as the Labour and Socialist International), and was re organised again, in its present form, after World War II.  Many social democratic and socialist parties had been suppressed in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Since World War II, the SI helped social democratic parties to re-start themselves when dictatorship gave way to democracy in Portugal (1974) and Spain (1975).

Until its 1976 Geneva Congress, the Socialist International had few members outside Europe and no formal involvement with Latin America. In the 1980s, most SI parties gave their backing to the Nicaraguan Sandinistas (FSLN), whose left-wing government had incited hatred from the United States.  Since then, the SI has admitted as member-parties not only the FSLN but also the centre-left Puerto Rican Independence Party, as well as the ex-Communist parties such as the Italian Democrats of the Left (Democratici di Sinistra (DS)) and the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO).

The Party of European Socialists, a European political party active in the European Parliament, is an associated organisation of the Socialist International.

Presidents 
In 2006, George Papandreou, leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, became the president of the Socialist International.
 1951-1957: Morgan Phillips
 1957-1962: Alsing Andersen
 1963: Erich Ollenhauer
 1964-1976: Bruno Pittermann
 1976-1992: Willy Brandt
 1992-1999: Pierre Mauroy
 1999-2005: António Guterres
 2006-present: George Papandreou

Honorary Presidents
 Ruben Berrios Martinez

Congresses

Members

Full members
The following parties are full members:

Consultative parties
The following parties are consultative parties:

Observer parties
The following parties are observer parties:

Former members

Fraternal organisations 
 International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International
 International Union of Socialist Youth
 Socialist International Women

Associated organisations 
 International Federation of the Socialist and Democratic Press
 International Labour Sports Confederation
 International League of Religious Socialists
 International Union of Social Democratic Teachers
 Jewish Labour Bund
 National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
 Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists
 Party of European Socialists
 Social Democratic Group of the Latin American Parliament
 World Labour Zionist Movement

Related pages
 African Socialist International
 PARLATINO

References

Other websites 
 Official site of the Socialist International