The International Working People's Association (IWPA), sometimes known as the "Black International," and originally named the "International Revolutionary Socialists", was an international

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

political organization established in 1881 at a convention held in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the group was created by an 1881 congress in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

held by the New York Social Revolutionary Club. The US IWPA is best remembered as the political organization uniting Albert Parsons, August Spies, and other anarchist leaders prosecuted in the wake of the 1886 Haymarket bombing.

Organizational history

International context

In 1872, the

International Workingmen's Association The International Workingmen's Association (IWA; 1864–1876), often called the First International, was a political international which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, social democratic, communist, and anarchist g ...

(now known as the "First International") had split, after the anarchist leader

Mikhail Bakunin Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin. Sometimes anglicized to Michael Bakunin. ( ; – 1 July 1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist. He is among the most influential figures of anarchism and a major figure in the revolutionary socialist, s ...

had been expelled by the General Council (whom

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

directed). During the years 1872-1877 the St. Imier International claimed to be the heir of the IWA. In 1881, a congress of anarchist and social revolutionary clubs was held in

aiming to establish a new international organization. This new organization, the International Working People's Association (later known as the "Black International") was intended to provide rallying point around which various national groups could organize themselves. The London gathering was attended by a New York social revolutionary group, which upon returning to America called for a gathering of American revolutionary groups in Chicago.Philip S. Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 2: From the Founding of the AF of L to the Emergence of American Imperialism.'' New York: International Publishers, 1955; pg. 38. The 1881 Chicago convention which followed adopted for itself the name Revolutionary Socialist Party and approved a platform urging the formation of trade unions on "communistic" principles and urging that support only be lent to unions of a "progressive" character. The platform also denounced use of the ballot as a vehicle for revolutionary social change, declaring instead that elections were "an invention of the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

to fool the workers." Instead, it would be "armed organizations of workingmen who stand ready with the gun to resist encroachment upon their rights" which were pivotal, the platform declared.

US context

In 1876, most of the major American socialist organizations merged into the

Workingmen's Party of the United States The Workingmen's Party of the United States (WPUS), established in 1876, was one of the first Marxist-influenced political parties in the United States. It is remembered as the forerunner of the Socialist Labor Party of America. History On Jul ...

(WPUS). In 1877, the WPUS was renamed to the

Socialist Labor Party of America The Socialist Labor Party (SLP)"The name of this organization shall be Socialist Labor Party". Art. I, Sec. 1 of thadopted at the Eleventh National Convention (New York, July 1904; amended at the National Conventions 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 192 ...

(SLP). During its first years, the SLP had very slow progress and few electoral victories. This proved frustrating and demoralizing for many Sections of the SLP. These sections began to debate the question of armed struggle and to organize

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

''Lehr-und-Wehr Vereine'' .Alan Dawley
"The International Working People's Association,"
The Lucy Parsons Project, http://flag.blackened.net/lpp/ Retrieved August 25, 2013. This more aggressive revolutionary socialist movement was particularly strong in the tough industrial center of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, populated by a large number of German-speaking immigrants cognizant of the European revolutionary movement and its German-based propaganda literature.

Anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or hierarchy, primarily targeting the state and capitalism. Anarchism advocates for the replacement of the state w ...

and revolutionary socialists (who in the vernacular of the day called themselves "Social Revolutionists")Morris Hillquit, ''History of Socialism in the United States.'' New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1903; pg. 236. were united by their disdain with electoral politics and piecemeal ameliorative reform. Tepid changes, such as currency reform,

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

reform, state ownership of

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

, and reduction of the

tariff A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...

were dismissed as inconsequential. Only through the application of armed force would revolutionary transformation of American society and economy be possible. These groups formed various independent revolutionary clubs.

Creation of the Revolutionary Socialists

In 1881, US sympathizers of the IWPA held the 1881 Chicago Social Revolutionary Congress. This congress was chiefly organized by the New York Social Revolutionary Club and numerous other "revolutionary clubs" formed by

-oriented members who split from the SLP.Morris Hillquit, ''History of Socialism in the United States.'' New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1903; pg. 235. This congress formalized itself as either the Revolutionary Socialist Labor Party (RSLP) or Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), but did not merge all of its sub-organizations together. A key turning-point came in December 1882 with the arrival in America of

Johann Most Johann Joseph "Hans" Most (February 5, 1846 – March 17, 1906) was a German-American Social Democratic and then anarchist politician, newspaper editor, and orator. He is credited with popularizing the concept of "propaganda of the deed" in the Un ...

, a former parliamentary representative of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...

who had turned to anarchism. Most had just finished up a 16-month term of imprisonment for having glorified the assassination of Russian

Tsar Alexander II Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland fro ...

and urged its emulation in his newspaper, ''Freiheit'' (Freedom). A popular orator and brilliant journalist in the German language, Most's arrival was celebrated by an enthusiastic crowd in the great hall of the Cooper Union Institute in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.Hillquit, ''History of Socialism in the United States,'' pg. 237. A tour of the principal industrial cities of America by Most followed in early 1883, a successful venture which led to the formation of a number of new local anarchist groups. Further aiding the anarchist cause, Most brought with him to New York City his newspaper, ''Freiheit'' (Freedom), which uncompromisingly advocated struggle against state authority, widening the gap between the electorally oriented socialists of the Socialist Labor Party and the burgeoning movement of "Social Revolutionists".

Creation of the US IWPA

In 1883, the split between the SLP and the social revolutionists and anarchist was formalized, when the groups held separate conventions, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, respectively. The October 1883 convention of the anarchists and revolutionary socialists held in Pittsburgh was attended by representatives of groups in 26 cities, including among them Johann Most, August Spies, and Albert R. Parsons. The Pittsburgh conclave formally merged the social revolutionary organizations together and launched the International Working People's Association (IWPA) in America. The convention adopted a manifesto known as the Pittsburgh Proclamation, declaring the organization for "destruction of the existing class rule by all means" and for the establishment of an economic system based upon "free contracts between the autonomous (independent) communes and associations, resting upon a federalistic basis." An "Information Bureau" in

was established to coordinate the activity of the "loose-knit

federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

of autonomous groups" declaring allegiance to the organization. Delegates to the Pittsburgh convention agreed in the efficacy of armed force, but differed as to its function. Eastern delegates surrounding Johann Most argued in favor of the "

propaganda of the deed Propaganda of the deed, or propaganda by the deed, is a type of direct action intended to influence public opinion. The action itself is meant to serve as an example for others to follow, acting as a catalyst for social revolution. It is primari ...

"—individualistic acts of terrorism which would win alienated workers to the anarchist cause through the power of example.Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States,'' vol. 2, pg. 39. Western-based delegates such as Spies and Parsons argued instead for a primary emphasis on work in

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s as the vehicle for revolutionary change, dismissing the labor movement's obsessive concern with immediate demands but insisting that the

direct action Direct action is a term for economic and political behavior in which participants use agency—for example economic or physical power—to achieve their goals. The aim of direct action is to either obstruct a certain practice (such as a governm ...

of unions would be key in establishing the embryonic production groups of the new society. This mixture of anarchism and

syndicalism Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through Strike action, strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goa ...

would be known as the "Chicago Idea".

Growth

The IWPA grew steadily in America from the time of its launch in the fall of 1883, reaching a peak of about 5,000 members."International Working People's Association," in Candace Falk with Barry Pateman and Jessica M. Moran (eds.), ''Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years: Volume 1: Made for America, 1890-1901.'' Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003; pp. 571-572. The majority of these members were immigrants hailing from Europe, primarily

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The circulation of Most's newspaper, ''Freiheit,'' increased handsomely, while some important German-language newspapers transferred their loyalties from the SLP to the new organization. Meanwhile, the Socialist Labor Party withered on the vine, with its membership plummeting to just 1,500 and its National Secretary, Philip Van Patten, leaving a mysterious suicide note and disappearing, only to reemerge later in another city as a government employee. At its December 1883 Baltimore convention, the SLP took the extraordinary, albeit short-lived, step of abolishing the role of National Secretary altogether and adopting a particularly radical program in hopes of cobbling together some sort of organizational unity with the so-called "Internationalists" of the IWPA.Hillquit, ''History of Socialism in the United States,'' pg. 240. Ultimately, however, the SLP determined that the difference over the question of violence between itself and the IWPA made unification impossible and a polemic war against anarchism was launched.

Decline

In the aftermath of the 1886 Haymarket bombing and the repression launched against prominent leaders of the American anarchist movement such as English-language newspaper editor Albert Parsons and German-language newspaper editor August Spies, American sections of the IWPA began to disintegrate rapidly.Howard H. Quint, ''The Forging of American Socialism: Origins of the Modern Movement: The Impact of Socialism on American Thought and Action, 1886-1901.'' Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1953; pg. 35. At least a portion of the American anarchist movement, at least one historian believes, came over to the more moderate Socialist Labor Party in the aftermath of the Chicago debacle. The anarchist movement dissipated severely following the execution of the Haymarket leaders in 1887. Although ''The Alarm'' continued to be published in Chicago for a time, sympathizers and advertisers were scared off by the harsh repression and public approbation meted out to the anarchist leaders. A few small anarchist groups survived, however, notably those surrounding Johann Most and

Benjamin Tucker Benjamin Ricketson Tucker (; April 17, 1854 – June 22, 1939) was an American individualist anarchist and self-identified socialist. Tucker was the editor and publisher of the American individualist anarchist periodical ''Liberty'' (1881–19 ...

and their respective newspapers, ''Freiheit'' and ''Liberty,'' published in New York and Boston.

Later revivals

The International Working People's Association (the so-called "Black International") is not to be confused with the

(IWA) established by Burnette G. Haskell and others on July 15, 1881, which borrowed its name from the

First International The International Workingmen's Association (IWA; 1864–1876), often called the First International, was a political international which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, social democratic, communist, and anarchist ...

. While discussions were held regarding a merger of these two organizations, talks came to naught. Haskell's IWA (known informally as the "Red International") disappeared at the end of the 1890s. An effort was made to revive the International Working People's Association by a convention of anarchists held in Amsterdam in 1907, but the organization was essentially stillborn. A final move to relaunch the IWPA, more successful than the 1907 effort, was made in December 1921 at another convention of international anarchists held in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Publications

American newspapers associated with the IWPA

* ''

The Alarm The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977 under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the group soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language ...

,'' Chicago, October 1884-December 1888?. * '' Chicagoer Arbeiter-Zeitung'' (Chicago Workers' News), Chicago, June 1874 – 1924? (Anarchist: 1880-1886). * ''The Labor Enquirer,''

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 1882-1888. * ''Die Fackel'' (The Torch), Chicago, May 1879-October 1919 (Anarchist: 1880-1886). * ''Freedom,'' Chicago, November 1890-May 1892. * '' Freiheit'' (Freedom), London,

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, New York, Chicago, Hoboken, and Buffalo, January 1879-August 1910. * ''

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

,''

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, August 1881-April 1908. * ''Lucifer, the Light-Bearer,'' Valley Falls, Kansas,

Topeka Topeka ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeaste ...

, and Chicago, 1883-June 1907. * ''Truth: A Journal for the Poor,'' San Francisco, 1881-December 1884. * ''Der Vorbote'' (The Harbinger), Chicago, February 1874-April 1924 (Anarchist: 1880-1886). : Sources: Richard T. Ely, ''Recent American Socialism,'' pp. 31, 32, 36. Dirk Hoerder with Christiane Harzig (eds.), ''The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s: An Annotated Bibliography.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987; Volume 3, pp. 389-390, 407-408, 411-413.

Pamphlet literature

* "'To the Workingmen of America."' Chicago: International Working People's Association, 1883. 4-page leaflet. * ''Victor Hugo! His Two Messages: One to the Rich, the Other to the Poor.'' Chicago?: International Working People's Association, n.d.

880s The 880s decade ran from January 1, 880, to December 31, 889. Significant people * Al-Mu'tamid * Al-Muwaffaq * Charles the Fat * Alfred the Great * Al-Mufawwid * Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz * Basil I References Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT: ...

* William J. Gorsuch, ''Revolt! An American to Americans...'' Allegheny, PA: WPAGroup No. 1, 1885.

References

External links

* Alan Dawley

The Lucy Parsons Project. Retrieved August 13, 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:International Working People's Association Anarchist organisations in the United Kingdom Anarchist organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1881 Defunct international anarchist organizations Left-wing internationals 1881 establishments in the United Kingdom Organizations disestablished in the 1890s 1890s disestablishments in the United States Organizations established in 1907 Organizations disestablished in 1907 Organizations established in 1921 1921 establishments in the United States