NationStates | Dispatch | Solidarity Newspaper: Issue 28

Venovica to become new High Judge

Due to only one candidate running in the High Judge election, Venovica shall take office as the DSA High Judge on the 1st of October. Venovica has served in cabinet aide and department director roles before and is currently a mod on the discord server. http://thedsa.proboards.com/thread/430/nominations-high-judge-october-december

Congratulations Venovica!

Legislative votes and proposals

The Judicial Independence Act passed by a vote of 11-2-3
http://thedsa.proboards.com/thread/427/vote-judicial-independence-act

The Department Guidelines Act and PIMP Act are currently up for vote
http://thedsa.proboards.com/thread/435/department-guidelines-act
http://thedsa.proboards.com/thread/436/pimp-act

The Congress Authority Act is currently up for scrutiny, until the 22nd after which it will move to a vote.
http://thedsa.proboards.com/thread/428/congress-authority-act

Interview with Cessnia

Our 26th interview is with the current ambassador to The Communist Bloc, Cessnia

⦁ When did you first join NationStates? How did you first hear about it?

I joined October 5th of last year, and found it when searching on google for nation building websites.

⦁ When did you join the DSA? Were you just looking at regions when you found us or did you come through recruitment telegram?

It was one of the first recruitment telegrams I recieved. Got the usual flood of them and chose one at random. :p

⦁ What are some things you've come to enjoy about the DSA most? A favorite memory?

Well the biggest thing I've come to enjoy is the vibrant RP community not found in most other regions. Coinciding with the RP comes the actual people that keep it flowing, including our MoRP, cartographer, directors, and all the individuals that bring their own creativity to help bloom our lore even more.

⦁ What made you decide to become DSA ambassador?

I've been in The Communist Bloc for a while now and have built some friendships along the way. The region is fun and cares for their comrades (DSA is still the best), so when given the opportunity to become an ambassador to them, I jumped on it.

⦁ Who are some people whom you've come to consider good friends in the DSA?

Slotheria, Dekks, Balkvla Islands, and Jasonvillee are among a few people I can say have been great friends. However it would be a crime to exclude people like Dank, Student, Andureo, and Venovica, who all have proven themselves to be such good and loving people. It would be best to name the whole DSA as a friend due to the kindness everyone has shown me.

⦁ What do you do outside of NationStates? Examples: what your job (if employed)? Hobbies? Talents? etc

I'm currently unemployed, but love to write in my freetime. I show American bullies in the ABKC and have 4 champions under my belt. I love playing football and my favorite professional team is the LA Chargers.

⦁ What are your plans for the future in your life? What do you hope to be or accomplish within the next 20 years?

I plan to join the Armed Forces and do my 4 years, then proceed on to college and become a history teacher. Eventually down the road, maybe in my thirties, I will settle down and start a family, but that's after I've seen what I want to see and been where I want to go.

Pacifica and Anarchy

Anarchy
The DSA has established embassies with the region of Anarchy on the 14th of September.

Pacifica/Thalassia
Three days ago the President and World Assembly Delegate of Pacifica posted a dispatch in which they declared a state of emergency and moved their region to Thalassia in the hope of having a stable and active founder. The DSA wishes it's friends good luck in this new chapter of their history, once the population of Thalassia nears 100 the DSA cabinet is expected to vote on opening embassies with the new region.

Dank's Op-Ed

We're looking at Cyberpunk 2077 again but this time it's not so much the game itself but what certain aspects of the game have caused a stir among the epic gamer community. One of the more recent revelations of Cyberpunk 2077's features is that in lieu of the traditional male/female sex option in the character creator, there will be masculine and feminine body and voice types to choose from. Functionally, you're probably looking at some more wiggle room to have an actually non-binary character and probably some greater customization depth as a result. Now this is actually some nice, thematic flavor which fits right into the cyberpunk genre. Despite how cyberpunk deals with transhumanism gone awry in a hypercapitalist dysoptia, it still deals with a transhumanist trope, the death of the gender binary, the death of the idea of gender itself. In many cyberpunk stories, you encounter large numbers of non-binary and trans characters. Of course, in many cyberpunk stories, mind uploads, bionic and genetic augmentation and modification, and extensive body modification, perhaps even just brains floating in a robot shell are the norm, they're ubiquitous. Cyberpunk deals with a facet of transhumanism that sees the physical form as just a vessel for the mind. What is on the body doesn't define you anymore than your phone case defines what your smartphone is.
The body is seen as just that, a case, something to be modded, something malleable, in some cases the concept of what is human becomes malleable. More than likely, such a society, whether a dystopia or a glimmering utopia of hope, will probably have phased out the idea of gender itself. If at any moment, you can hot swap male/female like you would a hard drive in your computer, if what you are is only defined by your thoughts and mind, or more physically by just the mushy blob of gray matter in your skull, sex and gender are less and less relevant every day that society goes on. You simply are as you think you are at any day of the week. Or at least, it should be but as cyberpunk deals with hypercapitalism, porky find a way to make it relevant, even if gender roles are no longer a thing. And then in cyberpunk, that's if you can afford it all, of course. But in most stories, it seems most people can.
So Cyberpunk 2077 maybe takes this into consideration. The last time I wrote about the game, I was not particularly excited for whatever presentation of the cyberpunk genre it has in store. And I still expect it to be a defanged mainstream aesthetics fest. But that feature is actually really neat and fits well into the genre. A genre that, no surprise, isn't understood by your typical epic gamer well, if at all. Upon announcement of this feature, heroic and brave gaming men took a stand against the evil communists at, umm.... ok, CD Projekt Red, I thought they liked this one but alright...
Anyway, they took a stand against the evil liberal communist Democrats at CDPR and singlehandedly killed them via death by 1000 giant cuts of pReOrDeR cAnCeLlEd. Sigh. Ok, let's be real, not a single one of them actually did anything. They're just sheltered nerds who don't get much time outside which is why they're ignorant and full of hate. The gamer thinks this is theirs and theirs alone and the outgroup needs to be fought tooth and nail. But, well, it's not theirs. It's CD Projekt Red's. And CDPR is making a cyberpunk game and cyberpunk throws away your common and traditional conceptions of a lot of what you think humanity means, for just about everyone in different ways. And the outgroup, that being the dreaded ethnic and sexual minorities, also like to play video games. And a hell of a lot too. It's nice escapism from the actual bigoted world. And there's more of them playing more and more games and gaming itself goes full speed ahead into the mainstream, further than it is now. The usual gamer has lost their special secret club. There's nothing special and nothing secret about them. The identity is already shattered but they haven't recognized it. And they fight back against it. But it's too late. I wonder how many more Horizon Zero Dawns, Battlefield Vs, Cyberpunk 2077s, Final Fantasy remakes where an important female character has a smaller bust than the original, Assassin's Creed games where the canon protagonist is a woman, and really just any woman or minorities cast as a protagonist their little hearts can take (some of the comments over Watch Dogs 3's prominence of people of color in the cast were just... expected). The gods help the gaming kingdom if, heavens forbid, a woman is the protagonist in GTA VI.

Article by Dankass communes

General Assembly Resolution written by ILC up on forum

The Interregional Legislative Coalition, more specifically Countriopia, Ramelia and Dekks have authored a General Assembly resolution considering 'prohibiting forced sterilization'. We hope to be able to eventually propose it and put it up on the vote, you can help with this yourself by viewing and perhaps even giving your advice to the resolution.
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=472259

NSLeft newspaper revived and back on track

The Red and Black, the newspaper of the whole of NSLeft has recently been revived the frist big attempt to get more activity in NSLeft, you can directly contribute to the newspaper yourself! more information in the announcement below:

The Red + Black: News from the NationStates Left

Hi everyone! The NSLeft Regional Representatives have been hard at work trying to revitalize the pact, and we're proud to announce that one of our first initiatives has come to fruition!

After a long hiatus, The Red + Black, NSLeft's official news outlet, is back in production for its 3rd volume!

While we do have staff writers, we'd like most of our stories to come from the people that power NSLeft: you!
To submit an article to TR+B, go to the NSLeft forum (https://theredand.black/) and, on the menu, click "R+B" followed by "Submit an Article!" (alternatively, just click this link: https://theredand.black/forums/forum/21-newsroom/). Read our short guidelines, and then write away!

We hope to bring you the 1st issue of the 3rd volume of The Red + Black very soon!

Announcement by Courelli

Interview with Shoalia

Our 27th interview is with the prime minister of Pacifica and the acting prime minister of Thalassia, Shoalia

⦁ When did you first join NationStates? How did you first hear about it?

I first joined NationStates about 5 years ago and I've been playing on and off since. I heard about it from a friend of mine who wanted to use it as a roleplay asset for a group I was in outside of NS.

⦁ What have been some experiences you've had in Pacifica and how did you end up being the Prime Minister there?

One of my favorite memories in Pacifica has been the Pacifican Conventions, which was an event that we hosted during my first term. It was full of roleplay, Q&A's, games, and the first Pacifican Awards. It was probably one of our busiest days on the RMB, and it was a little stressful to manage at the time, but it's one of my favorite memories.

In my first term, I ran on a whim, because it was our first election under the new charter. I thought I had a lot to offer my region in terms of organization and stability, but honestly? I never thought I'd win that election. I think folks really connected with how honest and personable I try to be. In my second term (the current one), I ran uncontested and won.

⦁ What has been your experience with the DSA up until now, how did you come to hear of the region and what plans do you have to keep having good relations in the future?

I heard of the DSA from its MoFA, who contacted me after a conversation in the NSToday discord server. My experience with the DSA has been fairly limited, as we've not been in contact long, but it's been a good experience thus far. I appreciate the open communication, and I believe ultimately that will be our greatest tool in keeping good relations. I could see the DSA being invited to some Pacifican events in the future, as a means to explore our similarities and differences.

⦁ What is your experience with the ILC and NSLeft from an outsider perspective if you've had any experiences with them?

I haven't had any personal experiences with either group, but I took the liberty of looking into each of them. I believe the creation of groups of this nature is a great way to have likeminded nations have a real say in the WA and interregional happenings of NationStates.

⦁ What do you do outside of NationStates? Examples: what is your job? Hobbies? Talents? etc.

I keep very busy outside of NationStates. I mostly work in software, though we've taken on the personal project of creating a game recently. I also volunteer at a local community theatre and an animal shelter. My hobbies include working out, going on hikes, painting, cooking, and gaming (though it's not often I have time to game much these days.) I'd say my talent is either being a disappointment to my parents or my discerning palate. Good luck figuring out which!

⦁ What are your plans for the future in your life? What do you hope to be or accomplish before you die? Or more simply and less macabre, within the next 20 years?

Oh boy, that's a tough question. If I'm honest, I had no idea I'd make it this far, so I have no idea what the future holds. I think I'd like to settle down and get my family situation sorted. I'd like to finish the game I mentioned earlier and see it go well. I'll probably continue trying to make games, just for the fun of it. And if I made enough money, I'd probably open my own no-kill shelter/rescue, because working with animals is my true passion, though I love my job. And then it's smooth sailing to world domination. Life's too short.

A Brief History of the First International - TRS article

It is with great pride that the Solidarity team announces that the The Red Star, the recently revived newspaper of TLA is a sister paper of the DSA, as such Solidarity and TRS will promote the other newspaper and swap articles each to enrich both newspapers.
Current TRS issue:

The Red St★r: Volume 11, Issue 1

by Editor of the red star

News Service of The Leftist Assembly Vol. 11· Iss. 1

Comrade Quotes
"Mankind is divided into rich and poor, into property owners and exploited; and to abstract oneself from this fundamental division; and from the antagonism between poor and rich means abstracting oneself from fundamental facts." - J. V. Stalin, An Interview with H. G. Wells.

Table of Contents

Article 1: A Word from the Editor | Article 2: September 2019 TLA Elections | Article 3: Depression and the Master-Slave Dialectic | Article 4: The Retirement of Comrade Caelapes | Article 5: Part 1: A Brief History of the Three Internationals

A Word from the Editor

Editor: Libertasnia

It is with great happiness I introduce you, dear reader, to Volume 11 of the Red Star! It’s been a long time since anything with TRS happened after it's severance from government support and with the help of Greylyn and Vegemiteisgross, we're bringing TRS back to TLA, on a planned monthly basis! We have established a discord server as well as internal regulations and aid for TRS writers to ensure regular publication. Anyone interested in writing for TRS can TG Libertasnia. Within this edition, we have a rundown of the upcoming TLA elections, an article connecting depression and Hegel's Master-Slave dialectic, a goodbye to Comrade Caelapes of TI, and the first part of Libertasnia's series on the history of the three Internationals!

Without further ado, here's the first issue of The Red Star Volume 11:

September 2019 TLA Elections

Greylyn
Disclaimer: The author of the following article is a current candidate for Member of the General Assembly, Senator Greylyn.

The September 2019 election has proven to be a unique campaign, with two Secretarial candidates (Prime Minister Argentigrad and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dawtania) and eight General Assembly candidates (Asscor,Senator Kavagrad, former Minister Libertasnia, former Secretary Llorens, Senator Nottinhaps, Uan aa Boa, Zaratov, and Senator Greylyn).

This alone is a milestone considering the most recent elections have seen an uncontested executive ticket. The executive race has not been without its share of controversy, however. The early days of the election saw a new face in Grand proudhonia running on a “radical government” platform, seeking to dismantle TLA’s legal institutions in favor of a more horizontal approach. This included abolishing the Secretary and cabinet, General Assembly, and Supreme Court. However, before Grand Proudhonia could take part in the debate process, he left abruptly, ultimately forfeiting his candidacy.

There was also controversy with his previous region, The Internationale. He addressed both controversies in the following regional message board post. He would then leave TLA for a second time, join a regional ally named Anarchy, and receive a ban from TLA’s founder account due to an altercation regarding his comments calling for the death of certain controversial historical statist figures on the left.

Secretary Candidates

Prime Minister Argentigrad wrote about continuing the recently established tradition of the State of the Assembly Address, initially proposed by Senator Greylyn during his first campaign. Argentigrad also proposed establishing an endotarting program, passing a related endorsement cap bill in conjunction with Llorens, and maintaining the status quo with regards to cabinet positions.

Opposition candidate Dawtania proposed an emphasis on integration for new Assemblians, the creation of a ministry for cultural events and games, government updates courtesy of the Secretary and Speaker -- the latter of which is a new position courtesy of the recent separation of the executive and legislative branches -- increased presence on the world stage, increased and varied recruitment, Ministry of Information news updates, and the creation of a civil service program.

General Assembly Candidates

Asscor has proposed the creation of a central oversight committee comprised of former members of government, a regional website, and a medal of economic merit.

Libertasnia has led a very pragmatic campaign with a notable lack of legislative proposal of any kind. He has expressed personal support for both the endotarting proposal as well as Kavagrad’s pan-leftist sentiments but has stated he chose not to include them because they were not his original ideas.

Llorens has proposed the repealment of the Category Restriction Act. He has also voiced support for Argentigrad’s proposed endotarting program.

Senator Kavagrad has proposed furthering recruitment efforts, opposing any sectarianism, and increasing role playing opportunities such as a third season for the ILFA.

Senator Nottinhaps has supported the endotarting program and proposed the creation of a World Assembly endorsement leaderboard.

Zaratov has proposed the creation of a Ministry of the Environment to increase environmental awareness.

Senator Greylyn has proposed creating a mentorship program for first time MGAs, a civil service program for Assemblians to take part in, releasing government updates, and publishing a monthly policy catalog/legislative queue to showcase topics of legislative discussion. Although the Speaker of the General Assembly is elected after MGAs have taken office, both Greylyn and Kavagrad have shown in interest in campaigning for the position.

Former Forest Foreign Minister and Forest Keeper has proposed a change to Article I of the Constitution to allow for "improved protection for freedom of speech".

Whatever the outcome, this election and subsequent term are likely to go down in the history books as a memorable period in The Leftist Assembly.

Depression and the Master-Slave Dialectic

Vegemiteisgross
As a content warning, I will have this article in spoilers. This is due to the fact that it deals with some very depressing themes and contains topics such as suicide, self harm and the like. If that is not for you, please skip over this.

I open my eyes.

I see you.

Who are you?

You are me.

What are you observing?

You are observing me. If you are observing me then… there is a me.

I only exist because you are there to observe me.

Without you, there is nothing to validate my existence, I cannot be me. I need you…

But I hate you.

For your existence is a complete affront to mine. You make my life a living hell. You may be me, but you hurt me. You are me, but you are not me. You are something else. Dark, hateful, cruel, angry. Your existence is agony. But I need you, without you, who am I? Who is there to recognise me but you? You make me real.
You hold all this power over me. Because of you, I cannot do anything but see you. My entire life is spent observing you, while your life is spent observing me. You are always there.

I woke up at noon, I dreamt of you. Do you dream? Or do you only look at me? See every imperfection in my face. When my eyes open, I see you. Staring at me. Hateful, bitter eyes burning holes into my skin.
We both remind one another of the otherness of the other. I am me, but so too are you also me. But you are mean. You hurt me. I cannot hurt you, for I am not so sure you are real. I am real, or else you wouldn’t look at me. But if I can see you, then you must be real.

Whether or not you are real changes nothing. You are a totalising other. You make my entire life miserable. My only purpose is to recognise you as the lord, and myself as bondsman. You could end my life whenever you wanted. Yet you do not, you keep me chained so I can spend my life recognising you as the lord. I am not in control. You are.

It’s a horrible twist of fate. I need you, for you validate my existence. I may be hurt by you, I may be miserable because of you, but you make me real. It’s just you and me, together… forever?

But wait… if you would kill me, you’d have done it already, not that you haven’t tried. You’ve tried so, so many times. Something I did angered you and you lash back. You cut me, you beat me, you hanged me to the point of unconsciousness just to bring me back… twice. You electroshocked me. You stuck a blade in my chest, towards my heart. You’ve made me sit and beg a driver to run me over. You’ve smashed my head into railings and walls. You’ve pushed me off high places just to see me fall. You’ve sent me into the hospital twice. I have endured so much pain because of you. I have scars because of you.

I have endured so much. You have not. Your punishment made me stronger, tougher. One day I will no longer feel your punishment. On that day, you will realise that I am not weaker than you. I am better than you. You need me, but I won’t need you anymore.

The Retirement of Comrade Caelapes

Libertasnia
At the time of this article’s writing, a little over a month ago, Caelapes AKA Misley, former WA Delegate for TI, announced his retirement from Fleet Admiral of The Red Fleet and Offsite Administrator as well as Custodian of The International.

Caealapes has held the positions of Offsite Administration and Custodian diligently since summer of 2014, after TRF’s revival. He will be missed in those capacities but his activism in the real world and other activities are obviously much more important.

Comrade Burninati0n has been given the roles of Custodian and Offsite Administrator for the TI Discord as changes to TI’s charters, which encountered fierce debate, are made to adapt to this development. Comrade Courelli of the Social Liberal Union has taken up the position of Fleet Admiral for TRF. ¡Hasta la victoria siempre! to our comrade his leaving positions, and our comrades incoming into new ones!

A Brief History of the First International

Libertasnia
Author’s Note: This is part one of a series dedicated to the histories of the International Workingmen’s Association, the Second International, the Comintern, and the Vienna Union. The Fourth International is not excluded here due to ideological reasons. It would take a whole other series of articles to describe the 4th International and its splits and reconciliations and the differences in the various Trotskyist (or Bolshevik-Leninist) currents.

Over the history of the socialist movement, there have been dozens of international organizations dedicated to the progress of humanity and the establishment of socialism. The three most prominent of these are the International Workingmen’s Association (IWA, 1st International), the Second International, and the Communist International (3rd International). Each of these faced its own challenges as well as splits and criticisms.

The International Workingmen’s Association
In September of 1864, a meeting of radicals from all over the European continent (Chartists, Proudhonians, Blanquists, radical Italian republicans, Irish and Polish nationalists and a whole host of other ideologies) occurred in England. At this meeting was Karl Marx, invited just a week before and relatively unknown. Marx would be appointed to a subcommittee to devise an international organization. In the Inaugural Address and the Provisional rules, Marx and his cohorts would establish the leftist basis for the future International Workingmen’s Association, the first leftist association of importance in the world.

Once the leftist ideological basis for the association was established, it split into an initial two camps: mutualists and communists. Marx was highly critical of Proudhon (though never a member of the IWA), the mutualist figurehead, and engaged in a power struggle. The first Congress was held in Geneva and Marx outlined (Marx, 1866). Within the Congress, emphasis was placed upon the Co-operative movement and several initiatives were left to the French entirely, outlining the power the Proudhonians held.

After 1866 the Proudhonian influence declined and instead the mutualists were replaced by “collectivists”, anarchists whose figurehead was Mikhail Bakunin. In 1866, Bakunin his ideas in a program entitled “National Catechism” (Bakunin, 1866), within which he advocated for the destruction of the state during the revolution and the establishment of federalist autonomous communes.

The beginning of the conflict between Marx and Bakunin ensued after Bakunin proclaimed, along with 79 other members, the establishment of “International Alliance of Socialist Democracy” within the IWA (Bakunin, 1868). Marx opposed the organization, as he believed it was both divisive, as they proposed separate meetings in a different building for the IASD, and illegal under IWA rules (Marx, 1868). The General Council of the IWA agreed and declared the IASD declaration “null and void” and would not admit it as a branch of the association. (IWMA General Council, 1868). Bakunin would go on to attempt to form an “International Brotherhood” or “Secret Alliance”, in the program of which he declared “the revolution as we understand it will have to destroy the State and all the institutions of the State, radically and completely, from its very first day.” (Bakunin, 1869). The organization apparently dissolved in 1869, and both Bakunin and James Guillaume denied its existence.

The General Council would send a letter to the IASD in 1869 outlining an apparent typo in the IASD program and urge the dissolution of the Alliance into the IWA. The typo was the IASD’s “equalization of classes” against the IWA’s “abolition of classes” (IWMA General Council, 1869). According to both Marx and Engels, the IASD officially dissolved but several journals (L’Égalité and Progres) and regional councils (the Swiss Romanish Federal Council) affiliated with it continued to criticize the General Council harshly. The General Council sent a circular letter of reply to the SRFC’s ‘criticisms’ and thus the SRFC broke with L’Égalité. Then, in 1870, the SRFC split into the Romanish Council, which was the official International grouping, and the Jura Alliance, which was the anarchist/Bakuninist grouping. The Jura, under the direction of Guillaume, would urge support of France in the Franco-Prussian War, “even more contrary” to IWA rules (Marx, 1870; Engels, 1871).

It is often stated that the statists organized a kind of coup to eject the anarchists from the IWA. This is false. It was reported to the Hague Congress that the Alliance, despite being ordered to, had not dissolved. The Congress appointed a Commission, which found that the IASD did still exist and that “its rules were contrary to the nature of the International”. Bakunin was expelled by a vote of 27 for, 6 against, and 7 abstentions; Guillaume was expelled on 29 for, 9 against, and 8 abstentions; and Schwitzguebel (a Swiss anarchist and founder of the Jura Alliance) was retained in the IWA.

The Congress’ official ruling was “1) That M. Bakunin and all the present members of the Alliance of Socialist Democracy be expelled from the International Working Men's Association and be granted re-admission to it only after a public renunciation of all connections with this secret society; 2) That the Jura Federation be expelled as such from the International (IWA, 1872).”

Bakunin responded with a charge that the IWA had completely eliminated all political and philosophic “questions” within it and Marx was the dictator of the IWA (Bakunin, 1872). The IWA was relocated to New York City and disbanded in 1876. Bakunin and the Anarchists formed the St. Imier International, which ran until 1877. The Second International would be formed in 1889, 13 years after the disbandment of the International Workingmen’s Association, and 25 years after the IWA’s establishment.

Sources:
Bakunin, Mikhail. “The Program of the International Brotherhood.” Marxists.org, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1869/program.htm

Bakunin, Mikhail. “On the International Workingmen's Association and Karl Marx.” Marxists.org, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1872/karl-marx.htm

Bakunin, Mikhail. “National Catechism.” Marxists.org, 1866, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1866/national-catechism.htm

Bakunin, Mikhail. “On the Policy of the International Workingmen's Association.” Marxists.org, 1869, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1869/policy-iwma.htm

Engels, Friedrich. “Activities of the Alliance of Socialist Democracy Speech by Marx, September 18, 1871.” Marxists.org, 1871, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/09/18.htm

IWMA, General Council. “The International Workingmen's Association and the International Alliance of Socialist Democracy.” Marxists.org, https://www.marxists.org/history/international/iwma/documents/1868/bakunin-resolution.htm

IWMA, General Council. “Letter of the General Council to the Alliance of Socialist Democracy March 9, 1869.” Marxists.org, 1869, https://www.marxists.org/history/international/iwma/documents/1869/bakunin-letter.htm

Marx, Karl. “Marx's Marginal Notes on the Program and Rules of Bakunin's International Alliance of Socialist Democracy.” Marxists.org, 1868, https://www.marxists.org/history/international/iwma/documents/1868/iasd-comment.htm

Marx, Karl. “Confidential Communication on Bakunin.” Marxists.org, 1870, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1870/03/28.htm

Marx, Karl, et al. “Commission to Investigate the Alliance.” Marxists.org, 1872, https://www.marxists.org/history/international/iwma/documents/1872/hague-commission/index.htm

Read dispatch

Author’s Note: This is part one of a series dedicated to the histories of the International Workingmen’s Association, the Second International, the Comintern, and the Vienna Union. The Fourth International is not excluded here due to ideological reasons. It would take a whole other series of articles to describe the 4th International and its splits and reconciliations and the differences in the various Trotskyist (or Bolshevik-Leninist) currents.