If there is one legendary organization in the history of the labor
movement, it is the First International, the International Workingmen's
Association, the IWA. Michel Cordillot, a historian specializing in
social history and professor emeritus at Paris 8, had already
coordinated a reference work on the Paris Commune, published by Éditions
de l'Atelier, reissued in paperback by Tallandier. He continues his work
with another book adopting the same depth and rigor, 1864-1880: The
First International in France, also published by Éditions de l'Atelier.
The reader is guided by an erudite popularization in the spirit of the
Maitron. The IWA emerged in a context of social struggles in
employer/employee relations and in the political sphere. "By its
geographical scope-it was truly international-and by the diversity of
the experiences that preceded it. Plural and multifaceted, it
distinguished itself by its flexibility from the organizations that took
up the torch of internationalism after it." It constituted a trade union
organization, a place for exchange and reflection on still current
issues: working hours, cooperation, land ownership, a political
organization that aroused concern, if not fear, among the public
authorities, who granted it hidden resources and massive membership.
Michel Cordillot expands his chronological analysis a few years before
its creation in 1864 and continues it until the creation of the Second
International.
From Themes to Biographies
The book is organized into thematic and biographical entries. The 48
thematic entries allow us to understand the history of the IWA in France
in all its complexity by highlighting certain aspects of its action and
the intensity of the debates. They are grouped into six sub-sections:
- The founding of the IWA and its beginnings in France; - Its first
conflicts with imperial power;
- Its recovery after the threat of extinction;
- The period of the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune;
- Its actual establishment in France;
- Its final years of existence.
In addition, the entries of 320 activists are included in alphabetical
order and follow the Maitron approach. Note the small proportion of
women, 13, but beyond Victorine Brocher, Elisabeth Dmetrieff, Nathalie
Lemel, and Louise Michel, unknown figures find their place, such as
Marie Louise David.
The author also emphasizes the role of the French workers who traveled
to London in 1864 to lay the foundations of this short-lived
organization, lasting about ten years. It was indeed English and French
trade unionists who initiated the process. In France, initiatives such
as those of Flora Tristan, the Fraternal Democrats, and Charles Fourier
prefigured the emergence of the International. It should be noted that
the richness and diversity of the work on the history of the labor
movement invites further exploration of many aspects, and the
bibliographical elements contained in the book will assist the reader in
their approach.
Perennially relevant and well-researched debates
The content of the debates, the reaction of public authorities, and the
events reflect the relevance of the internationalists' actions in 2025,
all things considered, of course. And this is another useful aspect of
reading this book. The richness of the themes covered and the quality of
the comments made by workers demonstrate the ongoing nature of the
debates. The role of unions, the organization of work, social relations,
the place of politics, women's work, pacifism...
A thought for Eugène Varlin, who would steer the IWA in France toward
the revolutionary collectivist movement, moving away from the mutualist
approach of Henri Tolain, one of the founders of the IWA in London in
1864, but who would wallow in the arms of the Versailles regime in 1871,
considered a renegade by the labor movement. Let us quote Michel
Cordillot: "If we had to identify a single emblematic figure in the
history of the IWA in France, it would undoubtedly be the bookbinder
Varlin, who was at once its emanation, its architect, and its principal
theoretician of non-authoritarian collectivism."
The Paris Commune is undoubtedly the highlight of the history of the
IWA. Inaudible in 1870 due to the patriotism of the workers, a great
classic that we will find again in 1914, the Parisian AIT integrates the
vigilance committees, questions participation in elections, is ardently
involved in the organization of the Commune, helped by its know-how
resulting from its experience of struggles. This is the case for the
functioning of the district town halls, the army, the subsistence
commission, that of work and exchange... Let us also highlight the
Communes in the provinces. After Bloody Week, the hunt for the AIT was
frantic. The Order's fanatics pursued survivors of the massacre and
recruited spies in refuge countries such as Great Britain and
Switzerland. The Jura Federation attempted to maintain the momentum. In
France, a slow reconstruction took place with the unions; the CGT
(General Confederation of Trade Unions) emerged, as did political
parties with ideological nuances and endless debates.
* Michel Cordillot
1864-1880: The First International in France
Its History, Its Establishment, Its Activists
Ed. de l'Atelier, 2025
https://monde-libertaire.fr/?articlen=8355
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
movement, it is the First International, the International Workingmen's
Association, the IWA. Michel Cordillot, a historian specializing in
social history and professor emeritus at Paris 8, had already
coordinated a reference work on the Paris Commune, published by Éditions
de l'Atelier, reissued in paperback by Tallandier. He continues his work
with another book adopting the same depth and rigor, 1864-1880: The
First International in France, also published by Éditions de l'Atelier.
The reader is guided by an erudite popularization in the spirit of the
Maitron. The IWA emerged in a context of social struggles in
employer/employee relations and in the political sphere. "By its
geographical scope-it was truly international-and by the diversity of
the experiences that preceded it. Plural and multifaceted, it
distinguished itself by its flexibility from the organizations that took
up the torch of internationalism after it." It constituted a trade union
organization, a place for exchange and reflection on still current
issues: working hours, cooperation, land ownership, a political
organization that aroused concern, if not fear, among the public
authorities, who granted it hidden resources and massive membership.
Michel Cordillot expands his chronological analysis a few years before
its creation in 1864 and continues it until the creation of the Second
International.
From Themes to Biographies
The book is organized into thematic and biographical entries. The 48
thematic entries allow us to understand the history of the IWA in France
in all its complexity by highlighting certain aspects of its action and
the intensity of the debates. They are grouped into six sub-sections:
- The founding of the IWA and its beginnings in France; - Its first
conflicts with imperial power;
- Its recovery after the threat of extinction;
- The period of the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune;
- Its actual establishment in France;
- Its final years of existence.
In addition, the entries of 320 activists are included in alphabetical
order and follow the Maitron approach. Note the small proportion of
women, 13, but beyond Victorine Brocher, Elisabeth Dmetrieff, Nathalie
Lemel, and Louise Michel, unknown figures find their place, such as
Marie Louise David.
The author also emphasizes the role of the French workers who traveled
to London in 1864 to lay the foundations of this short-lived
organization, lasting about ten years. It was indeed English and French
trade unionists who initiated the process. In France, initiatives such
as those of Flora Tristan, the Fraternal Democrats, and Charles Fourier
prefigured the emergence of the International. It should be noted that
the richness and diversity of the work on the history of the labor
movement invites further exploration of many aspects, and the
bibliographical elements contained in the book will assist the reader in
their approach.
Perennially relevant and well-researched debates
The content of the debates, the reaction of public authorities, and the
events reflect the relevance of the internationalists' actions in 2025,
all things considered, of course. And this is another useful aspect of
reading this book. The richness of the themes covered and the quality of
the comments made by workers demonstrate the ongoing nature of the
debates. The role of unions, the organization of work, social relations,
the place of politics, women's work, pacifism...
A thought for Eugène Varlin, who would steer the IWA in France toward
the revolutionary collectivist movement, moving away from the mutualist
approach of Henri Tolain, one of the founders of the IWA in London in
1864, but who would wallow in the arms of the Versailles regime in 1871,
considered a renegade by the labor movement. Let us quote Michel
Cordillot: "If we had to identify a single emblematic figure in the
history of the IWA in France, it would undoubtedly be the bookbinder
Varlin, who was at once its emanation, its architect, and its principal
theoretician of non-authoritarian collectivism."
The Paris Commune is undoubtedly the highlight of the history of the
IWA. Inaudible in 1870 due to the patriotism of the workers, a great
classic that we will find again in 1914, the Parisian AIT integrates the
vigilance committees, questions participation in elections, is ardently
involved in the organization of the Commune, helped by its know-how
resulting from its experience of struggles. This is the case for the
functioning of the district town halls, the army, the subsistence
commission, that of work and exchange... Let us also highlight the
Communes in the provinces. After Bloody Week, the hunt for the AIT was
frantic. The Order's fanatics pursued survivors of the massacre and
recruited spies in refuge countries such as Great Britain and
Switzerland. The Jura Federation attempted to maintain the momentum. In
France, a slow reconstruction took place with the unions; the CGT
(General Confederation of Trade Unions) emerged, as did political
parties with ideological nuances and endless debates.
* Michel Cordillot
1864-1880: The First International in France
Its History, Its Establishment, Its Activists
Ed. de l'Atelier, 2025
https://monde-libertaire.fr/?articlen=8355
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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