The first socialist schism
Subtitle: Bakunin vs. Marx in the International Working Men's Association
By: Wolfgang Eckhardt ; translated by Robert M. Homsi [and 4 others]
Contributors: Homsi, Robert M., translator
Publisher: PM Press; Thoughtcrime ink
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 603
ISBN-13: 9781629630427
Subjects: International Workingmen's Association (1864-1876); Socialism; History
Description: "The First Socialist Schism chronicles the conflicts in the International Working Men's Association (First International, 1864-1877), which represents an important milestone in the history of political ideas and socialist theory. In defending their autonomy, federations in the International became aware of what separated them from the social democratic movement that relied on the establishment of national labor parties and the conquest of political power. This can be seen as a decisive moment in the history of political ideas: the split between centralist party politics and the federalist grassroots movement. The separate movements in the International--which would later develop into social democracy, communism, and anarchism--found their greatest advocates in Mikhail Bakunin and Karl Marx. However, the significance of this alleged clash of titans is largely a modern invention. It was not the rivalry between two archenemies or a personal vendetta based on mutual resentment that made the conflict between Bakunin and Marx so important. What was significant was that the conflict heralded the first socialist schism between parliamentary party politics aiming to conquer political power and social-revolutionary concepts. Instead of focusing exclusively on what Marx and Bakunin said, many other contributions to this debate are examined, making this the first reconstruction of a dispute that gripped the entire organization. This book also provides the first detailed account of the International's Congress of The Hague (September, 1872); including the background, the sequence of events, and international reaction. The book sets new standards when it comes to source material, taking into account documents from numerous archives and libraries that have previously gone unnoticed or were completely unknown." -- Publisher's description
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 421-578) and index.

Translated from the German.
Table of contents: title: Bakunin, Marx, and Johann Philipp Becker; title: The International in Geneva and in the Jura region; title: The Basel Congress of the International; title: Marx's 'communications' concerning Bakunin; title: The Romance Federation split; title: Fixing the International's course; title: The London Conference; title: The Sonvillier Circular; title: In International in Italy; title: The International in Spain; title: Lafargue's activities in Spain; title: The Belgian rules project and the Fictitious Splits; title: Convening the Congress of The Hague; title: The factional divide in the Spanish International; title: The eve of the Congress of The Hague; title: The Congress of The Hague: the mandate commission and the commission to investigate the Alliance; title: The revisions to the Rules, the transfer of the General Council and the 'Minority Declaration'; title: The Congresses of St. Imier, Brussels, and Córdoba; title: The Geneva Congresses and the disastrous New York General Council; title: Politics and historical narratives.