The below account is an accurate and good synopsis, but I might add a minor
point of some interest. How one refers to a political organization/tendency
on the socialist left is often a sign of one's posture toward them. Thus,
orthodox Communists and Stalinists use the term "Trotskyite" as opposed to
"Trotskyist." The Second International is, strictly speaking, a historical
artifact, having collapsed over W.W.I; what exists today is the Socialist
International, a post-WWII creation. However, those who believe that the
parties of the Socialist International are reformist 'sellouts' still use the
appellation 'Second International' to make the connection to the betrayal
over W.W.I.
Leo Casey
> Matthew King wrote:
>
> > > [snip] NATO, most of whose governments are members of the Socialist
> > > International [snip]
> >
> > I wasn't aware there was any such thing--is there any such thing, or are
> > the authors speaking metaphorically?
>
> The "Socialist International," a.k.a. the "Second International," is a
> grouping
> of social-democratic political parties, including Germany's (governing)
> Social
> Democratic Party and Britain's (governing) Labour Party, and so on. It is
> not
> the governments that are members, but the parties that now "form" the
> governments. The "Comintern" (Communist International; Third
International)
> was
> formed by the Bolsheviks and others after WWI because (among other
reasons)
> most
> parties in the 2nd International had supported WWI, in violation of their
> stated
> principles. The 2nd International replaced the ill-fated First
> International,
> which Marx helped to found, and which broke up in the late 19th century
over
> debates between Marxists and anarchists like Bakunin.
point of some interest. How one refers to a political organization/tendency
on the socialist left is often a sign of one's posture toward them. Thus,
orthodox Communists and Stalinists use the term "Trotskyite" as opposed to
"Trotskyist." The Second International is, strictly speaking, a historical
artifact, having collapsed over W.W.I; what exists today is the Socialist
International, a post-WWII creation. However, those who believe that the
parties of the Socialist International are reformist 'sellouts' still use the
appellation 'Second International' to make the connection to the betrayal
over W.W.I.
Leo Casey
> Matthew King wrote:
>
> > > [snip] NATO, most of whose governments are members of the Socialist
> > > International [snip]
> >
> > I wasn't aware there was any such thing--is there any such thing, or are
> > the authors speaking metaphorically?
>
> The "Socialist International," a.k.a. the "Second International," is a
> grouping
> of social-democratic political parties, including Germany's (governing)
> Social
> Democratic Party and Britain's (governing) Labour Party, and so on. It is
> not
> the governments that are members, but the parties that now "form" the
> governments. The "Comintern" (Communist International; Third
International)
> was
> formed by the Bolsheviks and others after WWI because (among other
reasons)
> most
> parties in the 2nd International had supported WWI, in violation of their
> stated
> principles. The 2nd International replaced the ill-fated First
> International,
> which Marx helped to found, and which broke up in the late 19th century
over
> debates between Marxists and anarchists like Bakunin.