The First International, anarchism, and the Paris Commune

The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), known as the First International, was founded in London on 28 September 1864, emerging from a meeting convened by British and French trade unionists with support from European political exiles; Karl Marx drafted its Inaugural Address and General Rules. The IWA brought together highly diverse currents, including Marxists, Proudhonists, Blanquists, British trade unionists, and later Bakuninist anarchists, with the goal of coordinating the struggle of the working class internationally and supporting strikes across countries.