Address and the Provisional Rules of the International Working Men’s Association

The "Address and Provisional Rules of the International Working Men's Association" was a foundational document written by Karl Marx for the First International, established in London in 1864. This organization, also known as the First International, was a federation of workers' groups that aimed to unify labor movements across Europe.12

Marx's address emphasized the achievements of the cooperative movement and parliamentary legislation, suggesting that the gradual conquest of political power could benefit the proletariat. The International was structured with local groups forming national federations, all overseen by a Congress and an executive General Council based in London.21

However, the organization was marked by internal ideological conflicts, including those between Marxism, Proudhonism, Blanquism, and Bakunin's anarchism. These divisions, particularly the clash between Marx's centralized socialism and Bakunin's anarchism, ultimately led to the International splitting in 1872 and being formally disbanded in 1876.1