International Workers' Congress (1889)

The International Workers' Congress took place in Paris between July 14 and 21, 1889 . Among other things, the Second International was founded on it. The May Day celebrations also go back to the Congress.

prehistory

The First International had disbanded in 1876. Against the background of a growing socialist movement made up of parties and trade unions as well as large strike movements such as the Haymarket Riot in Chicago , the dock workers 'strike in England and the miners' strike of 1889 in the Ruhr area, the desire for a renewal of cross-border cooperation increased. Some delegates from European socialist parties decided on February 28, 1889 in The Hague to convene an international workers' congress for July of the same year in Paris. In keeping with tradition, the beginning of the congress was set for July 14, 1889, the centenary of the storm on the Bastille .

In the run-up there was a dispute between different currents. A group of the Possibilists , particularly strong in France , who only advocated a labor movement geared to economic strife , and the English Trade Unions split off from the socialist congress. Therefore, two events with the same agenda took place in Paris in parallel.

Beginning of the congress

About 400 delegates from 20 countries took part in the socialist congress. In addition to the representatives of the European socialist parties, delegates also came from Russia , the USA , Argentina and even Egypt . 81 delegates from the German Empire took part. Among them were Eduard Bernstein , Clara Zetkin , Carl Legien and Georg von Vollmar . August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht were the leaders of the German delegation . Although Friedrich Engels was heavily involved in the preparation, he stayed away from the meeting in order to devote himself to the publication of the third volume of Karl Marx's Capital . The congress was opened by Paul Lafargue , Karl Marx's son-in-law. Wilhelm Liebknecht and Édouard Vaillant , a veteran of the Paris Commune , were chairmen .

Agenda

Situation of the workers and the socialist movement in the different countries (Rapporteurs: inter alia Victor Adler , August Bebel)
Abolition of the standing armies and general arming of the people (Rapporteur: Edourd Vaillant and others);
Means and ways to implement the requirements of occupational safety and health (rapporteur, inter alia, August Bebel)
International rally on May 1, 1890 (request from Raymond Felix Lavigne ).

negotiations

In his lengthy report on the German labor movement , August Bebel rejected the party's criticism of the trade unions as a danger to the socialist movement. He believed that only by advocating practical measures to improve working and living conditions could class consciousness be awakened among the mass of workers . The miners 'envoy from the province of Westphalia Dieckmann reported on the big miners' strike in the Ruhr area.

Congress separated the socialist movement from anarchism . It was argued for the strengthening of the socialist parties with the aim of gaining political power. The standing armies should be abolished in favor of the “people's arming”, ie a militia system based on the Swiss model . Peace among the peoples was seen as a central condition of the workers' movement.

The focus was on the requirement for an eight-hour day . Congress accepted a motion to hold rallies in all countries on the same day to enforce the eight-hour day. A corresponding action was already planned by the American Workers' Union in memory of the victims of the massacre on the Haymarket in Chicago on May 1, 1890. The Congress adopted this date for the entire international movement.

In addition, the delegates called for international regulations on occupational health and safety and women's and child labor . Work by children under the age of 14 should be prohibited, as should night work by women. Congress also called for a continuous rest period of at least 36 hours per week. He also advocated state labor protection.

Clara Zetkin gave a speech on the situation of women workers. This was translated by Eleanor Marx for the English-speaking delegates. Congress decided to view workers as "equal fighters" and called for equal pay for equal work. Emma Ihr pleaded for a stronger organization of the workers.

On July 20, 1889, the Congress was solemnly closed and the next day the delegates laid a wreath in memory of the dead of the Paris Commune of 1871.

literature

Franz Osterroth; Dieter Schuster: Chronicle of the German Social Democracy. Until the end of the First World War. 2. edit again and exp. Berlin 1975 digitized edition .
Dieter Schuster: Chronology of the German trade union movement from its beginnings to 1918 . Bonn 2000 digitized .

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ On the prehistory in detail: Karl Marx / Friedrich Engels Complete Edition (MEGA) Abt. 1: works, articles, designs. Vol. 31: Friedrich Engels, works, articles, drafts, October 1886 to February 1891. Berlin 2002, p. 1332 ff.
↑ See collection of sources on the history of German social policy 1867 to 1914 , Section II: From the Imperial Social Message to the February Decrees of Wilhelm II (1881-1890) , Volume 3: Workers' Protection , edited by Wolfgang Ayaß , Darmstadt 1998, No. 191 u. No. 193.

[1] On the prehistory in detail: Karl Marx / Friedrich Engels Complete Edition (MEGA) Abt. 1: works, articles, designs. Vol. 31: Friedrich Engels, works, articles, drafts, October 1886 to February 1891. Berlin 2002, p. 1332 ff.

[2] See collection of sources on the history of German social policy 1867 to 1914 , Section II: From the Imperial Social Message to the February Decrees of Wilhelm II (1881-1890) , Volume 3: Workers' Protection , edited by Wolfgang Ayaß , Darmstadt 1998, No. 191 u. No. 193.