The Emancipation of Labor - A History of the First International

Beginning in 1859, the world was engulfed by a new process of revolutionary change that was more extensive geographically, more prolonged in time, more powerful, and more varied in its consequences than the great European revolution of 1848-1849. The same working classes participated in both movements, but earlier visions were replaced by pragmatic ideas, new forms of organization, and new lines of action. This volume chronicles the emergence and evolution of one of the new groups, the International Working Men's Association, which went into history under the name of the First International.

Unlike previous historians and writers who generally aligned themselves with either Marx or Bakunin, the great rivals in the movement, author Henryk Katz offers a history of the group and its scores of fascinating personalities. He surveys the First International in the context of the general history of the period from 1846 to 1874, as well as in the context of the worldwide movements of liberation that included the freeing of American slaves, the emancipation of Russian serfs, and the unification of Italy. Katz also fully describes the major role the First International played in the process of the revival and expansion of the West European labor movement. Working from primary and secondary sources, Katz presents a secularized history of the International that will be a valuable reference tool for both libraries and a wide variety of history, political science, and sociology courses.

List of contents

Introduction
The Foundation
Metamorphoses
Encounters: Lausanne and Brussels
The High Tide
Bakunin in the International
War and Revolution
London 1871
The "Latin" Rebellion
The Northern Bastions
The Fulfillment
Bibliography
Index

About the author

HENRYK KATZ was Honorary Research Fellow of the Coventry (England) Polytechnic, and a former instructor in the History and Politics Department at the University of Nottingham. He authored numerous books, articles, and journal reviews.

Product details

• Authors: Henryk Katz, Katz Henryk
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 7 to 17
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 21.05.1992
• EAN: 9780313274473
• ISBN: 978-0-313-27447-3
• No. of pages: 216
• Weight: 510 g
• Series: Contributions in Labor Studies
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, Europe, European History, HISTORY / Europe / General, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / European, world history, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, Social and cultural history, Far-left political ideologies and movements, Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies, Left-of-centre democratic ideologies, Marxism & Communism