The Socialist International, commonly known as the Second International, was a political international of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris in 1889. At a time of growing industrial working-class movements and the expansion of suffrage, it brought together autonomous national parties into a loose international federation. It continued the work of the First International (1864–1876), from which it inherited both the legacy of Karl Marx and the conflict with anarchists. The organization was dominated by the powerful Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), whose organizational and theoretical leadership heavily influenced the other member parties.
Key Facts
| Subject | Second International |
| Category | International socialist organization (1889–1914) |
| Reading time | 1 min · Advanced |
| Key date | 1889 |
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