The First Congress(es) of the Second International (original) (raw)

The Second International

The First Congress(es), 1889

Two International Congresses took place in Paris in 1889 in the week of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (14 July). This was originally due to an internal struggle within the French movement between the “Possibilists”, led by Brousse and Allemane, and supported by the British SDF; and the “Marxists,”, led by Guesde and Lafargue, and supported by most of the German socialists and Engels.

The names 'Possibilist' and 'Marxist' were widely used at the time for the two sides in the dispute.

Prelude

The French Marxists having no paper of their own at this time, much of the debate leading up to the congresses was conducted in the British socialist press. Engels was closely involved from the start, sometimes writing under his colleagues' names (in a letter to Sorge on June 8th 1889, Engels wrote "The first pamphlet, signed by Bernstein, was edited by me, like everything else that appeared in English on the subject".) His own letters provide a very detailed running commentary.

• A Critical Essay on the International Trade Union Congress of London 1888 giving the Possibilist view of the international Congress preceding the Paris Congresses.
• The 'Official' German Social Democrats and the Paris Congress directed to H. Rackow, published by the SDF (Justice, March 16th).
• Rackow's Letter and Reply (Commonweal, March 16th)
• The International Working Men’s Congress of 1889: A Reply to Justice, a fuller reply in a pamphlet signed by Bernstein.
• A statement of the SDF position (March 25th)
• The International Workers' Congress and the German Social-Democrats: a reply by Hyndman to the first Bernstein pamphlet (April 6th)
• A reply to the Manifesto of the Social Democratic Federation., a second pamphlet by Bernstein and Engels.
• The International Workers' Congress and the Marxist Clique, a final reply by Hyndman (June 15th)

The convocations

Possibilists and Marxists competed to show that they had inherited the right to call the Congress from earlier Congresses and conferences, and later, that they had support from the larger pool of worker organizations.

• The Possibilist convocation (April 13th)
• The Marxist convocation (May 25th)
• Attendance at the Marxist Congress (June 8th)

The Congresses

Both Congresses later published their proceedings, the Possibilists in French and the Marxists in German. The Dutch delegates to the Marxist Congress also published their own (short) proceedings.

The proceedings for the Marxist Congress include speeches by Bebel, Clara Zetkin, Guesde, William Morris, Domela Nieuwenhuis, Lavrov and Plekhanov, and many others.

• Proceedings of the Possibilist Congress
• Proceedings of The Marxist Congress
• The speech by Georgii Plekhanov

Individual and Organisational Reports

In addition to the official minutes, a large number of further reports from an individual or personal point of view were published during or shortly after the event.

The Possibilist Congress

• A series of reports in the Times of London (anonymous)
• A report by Hyndman in the International Review
• An anonymous report in Justice
• A report by Harry Quelch of the S.D.F
• A critique by John Burns in the Labour Elector
• Report of the International Workmen’s Congress, 1889, Published by the Trade Unionist Members of the English Delegation (London, 1889) [Not seen]

The Marxist Congress

• Impressions of the Paris Congress I. (Commonweal, William Morris)
• Impressions of the Paris Congress II. (Commonweal, William Morris)
• A Delegate's report (Commonweal, Frank Kitz)
• The Marxist Congress (Labour Elector, Cunninghame Graham)

Last updated on 27 August 2025