The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-05-14
BY MAX BEDACHT

New York. The motion was made by
Karl Marx. This motion was an &C
tual recognition of the inevitable
end of the First International. 1t
died actually in 1874; it was Off
cially buried only in 1876.
The First International was
founded in 1864. In spite of reaction
throughout Europe which prevailed
after the stormy days of 1848, the
labor movement began to develop in
most European countries. Develop
ing capitalism had begun to pro-
duce its own undertaken, the mod
ern proletariat. This proletariat, in
spite of its suffering and suppress
sion, or, rather, because of that, be-
gan to form economic and political
associations to defend its interests.
The theoretical line OF the labor
organizations and movements of
the various countries differed with
the different stages of development
of capitalism. In advanced Britain,
for instance, trade unionism pre-
vailed. The backward German
states produced the journeymen
communists of Wilhelm Weitling.
in the territory of typical home in
dustry of the Jura in Switzerland
petty bourgeois indiYidualism and
anarchism rooted itself, while in
France with its revolutionary and
discretionary traditions there de-
Veloped the theory of Putchism
(Blanqui-ism) on the one hand and
the petty bourgeois reactionary re-
forrniSm of Proudhon on the other
Yet, in 1864, after number of eff
forts, an international Workmen's
Association was organized. This or
ganization became known in his
tory as the First International
Although they did not directly in
itiate it, Marx and Engels took an
active part in it from the very be-
ginning Marx became the German
secretary of the General Council
In this position Marx began to
struggle against the main weakness
of the International. He endeavored
to put in place of the many nation
al groups with the many different
conceptions one unified Interna-
tional with one fundamental pro-
gram and aim. In the Workers In
ternational Marx and Engels saw
the potential conqueror of capital
ISM. But the growth Of the strength
of the Workers International to the
point of a successful revolutionary
challenge to capitalism presup-
posed the elimination Of theoretical
and national divisions. The. aim of
Marx was to develop the working
class as a class, conscious of its So
ciaI existence and mission as a
class, and active in its class inter
ests. Only such a development
would make the workers Interna
tional truly international. It would
make it inevitably revolutionary.
The leadership of Marx and En-
gels in the International Working
mems Association was, therefore,
one continuous effort to have the
revolutionary theories Of Marxism
replace the variety of national con-
ceptions, Proudhonism, Blanquism
Bakuninism, WeitlingiSm. etc.
The Paris Commune brought the
inner division of. the International
Workingmen's Association to a
head. The various fractions fought
with each other for credit for the
successes of the Commune, and they
accused each other of the respon-
sibility for its mistakes and defeats.
This resulted in a life and death
struggle of the fractions for domi-
nation in the International. The
Hague congress of the International
in 1872 was to be the main battle
field for the fractions.
Marx realized this. On June q,
1872, he wrote an urgent letter to
F. A. Serge, who was the leader of
the American section of the Inter-
national. Marx wrote: 1.-THE next
congress will be held on the first
Monday in September, 1872, in the
Hague (Holland). Under no condi-
tions can you confine yourself to
send a memorandum. This congress