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Arise Ye Wretched of the Earth – The First International in a Global Perspective

Edited by Fabrice Bensimon – Quentin Deluermoz – Jeanne Moisand

ARISE YE WRETCHED OF THE EARTH – THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL IN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Book Introduction

In November 1964, a Centenary conference of the International Working Men’s Association (iwma) was organised in Paris under the aegis of the cnrs and the Commission internationale des mouvements sociaux et des structures sociales (International Commission for social movements and structures).

The organizers, including Ernest Labrousse, had stressed the need for a comprehensive survey, and the conference lasted three days and brought together some 90 participants, including Jean Matron, Arthur Lehning, Jean Dhondt, Asa Briggs and Marc Vuilleumier. The participants appeared in national delegations – a practice which would probably seem rather curious nowadays.

At the same time, this retrospective look at the centenary conference is humbling, since many of its contributions have barely aged. Nearly 500 pages of the proceedings were published in 1968.1

Indeed, the ground covered by this vast collective endeavour was considerable. It provided a detailed investigation of the different countries affected by the development of the iwma (France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, Russia, Austria, Bohemia, Poland…), in a wide-ranging survey.

The institutions of the General Council in London, the nature of the First International’s sections and the issue of membership were also addressed.

A first summary was drawn, which highlighted the place of skilled artisans in the various struggles of the 1860s, and the unstable “mosaic-like” character of the International and its branches.

In their conclusion, these works highlighted the gap between concrete achievements and aspirations, and thus realised the myth born out of the International – a myth which, according to the final report’s author, Jean Dhondt, was no doubt of decisive historical importance in the history of the modern labour movement.

So why, in light of such an impressive pedigree, should we re-examine this organisational experiment, however original to the post-1848 world it may have been? There are a few arguments for this.