Proletarian internationalism

Some people wanted all workers to join together. They believed workers in every land were part of one group.

They used a famous saying. It said, "Workers of the world, unite!" This helped them act as one.

A large group formed to help. It had many members from different places. They wanted to be strong together.

Later, some leaders wanted to spread these ideas. They hoped to change many lands at once.

This idea was about helping others across the world.

Some people believed all workers belonged to one group. This idea is called proletarian internationalism. They thought workers in every nation should act together. They wanted to change how the world worked.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels helped spread this idea. They used a famous slogan. It said, "Workers of the world, unite!"

A group called the First International formed in 1864. It was the first big group with a global focus. At its peak, it had 5 million members. This group helped workers gain more power by joining across borders.

Later, the Soviet Union was formed. Some leaders wanted to use it to spread new ideas to other lands. They helped create socialist states in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Cuba also sent groups to help others in Africa and the Caribbean.

However, World War I changed things. Many groups chose to support their own countries instead. This caused the movement to split into different parts. People had many different ideas about how to help workers around the world.

Proletarian internationalism is a big idea about how the world works. It is the belief that revolutions by working people are all part of one global struggle. Instead of seeing events in different countries as separate, this idea sees them as one single movement. This is based on the theory that capitalism is a system that covers the whole world. Because of this, the working classes in every nation must act together. They aim to replace the current system with communism.

This movement grew through specific steps and slogans. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels helped create this vision. They wrote a famous book called The Communist Manifesto in 1848. At the very end, they used a famous slogan. It said, "Workers of the world, unite!" This phrase became a way for people to show they were working together. The idea was that workers could gain more power by joining across national borders. This helped them have more influence in politics and trade.

History shows many groups trying to make this idea real. In 1864, a group called the International Workingmen's Association was founded. Some people call this the First International. It was the first large movement to focus on the whole world. At its highest point, it had about 5 million members. Later, a second group called the Second International formed. This group also tried to follow the internationalist strategy. However, it did not include certain other groups like the anarchists.

Different leaders had many different ideas about how to act. Vladimir Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg were two famous thinkers. In 1907, they worked on a plan at a meeting in Stuttgart. They believed that wars between countries often happened because of competition in the world market. They argued that workers should try to stop wars from starting. If a war did start, they believed workers should work to end it quickly. This was meant to help the movement grow globally.

World War I changed the movement very much. Many groups that used to be international started to support their own nations instead. This caused the movement to split into different parts. After the war, the Third International was established in March 1919. This was a new group for communist parties. The Soviet Union also played a role by helping create socialist states in places like Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. Even though the movement changed, these ideas still shaped how different countries worked together.

Proletarian internationalism is a political theory regarding global class struggle. It views revolutions by the working class, or proletariat, as part of one single global movement. This concept is based on the idea that capitalism functions as a world-system. Therefore, proponents believe working classes in all nations must act together. Their goal is to replace capitalism with communism. This process is expected to eventually lead to a stateless communist society.

The movement relies on the mechanism of global solidarity to achieve its goals. Proponents argue that because capitalism is international, the struggle against it must also be international. Success is defined by successive or simultaneous revolutions across many different nations. This is intended to trigger or perpetuate political change on a global scale. By joining across national borders, workers aim to gain greater bargaining power. This collective action is meant to increase their political influence against ruling classes.

Several distinct organizations attempted to coordinate this international strategy. The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), or the First International, was founded in 1864. It was the first mass movement with a specific international focus. At its peak, the IWA had approximately 5 million members. Following its dissolution in 1876, the Second International emerged as a successor. However, the Second International did not include anarchist or anarcho-syndicalist movements. These groups had different views on how to organize the working class.

Historical development was shaped by key thinkers and changing political landscapes. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels popularized the idea in 1848. They published *The Communist Manifesto*, which ended with the slogan, "Workers of the world, unite!" In the mid-1800s, the proletariat was a small minority in most countries. Marx and Engels used tactical approaches to national issues during this time. For example, they supported an independent Poland to counter Russian influence in Europe. They viewed Russia as a center of reaction that hindered revolutionary progress.

In 1907, Vladimir Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg presented a major resolution in Stuttgart. This resolution addressed the relationship between capitalism and war. They argued that wars between capitalist states result from competition for world markets. They believed states use nationalism to distract workers from their class duties. The resolution stated that workers must prevent wars through political and economic means. If war occurs, workers should work to end it quickly. This was intended to use the resulting crisis to hasten the downfall of capitalist rule.

However, internal disagreements often divided the movement. Lenin and Luxemburg held different views on the "national question." Lenin advocated for national self-determination, which included the right of oppressed nations to secede. He believed this would help create unity between different groups of workers. In contrast, Luxemburg argued that the nature of capitalism had changed. She believed the interests of the Polish and Russian working classes were becoming linked. This tension between national identity and class unity was a constant challenge.

World War I caused a massive fracture in internationalist politics. Many member parties of the Second International chose to support their own national governments. Proletarian internationalists called this behavior "social chauvinism." This shift led to the dissolution of the Second International in 1916. After the war, the movement split into two hostile factions. One group was the social democrats, who supported their national governments. The other group formed the Third International in March 1919. This new organization was specifically for communist parties.

Following the Russian Revolution, the Soviet Union became a central actor. Some proponents suggested the Soviet Union could serve as a "homeland of communism." It helped establish socialist states in Eastern Europe after World War II. The Soviets also supported new states in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. They provided funding for various leftist guerrilla movements fighting colonialist governments. Other nations, like Cuba, also participated by sending military missions to Africa and the Caribbean. While the focus eventually shifted toward domestic concerns, these international ties remained significant.