The
International Workingmen's Association was an international group of
socialists. Originally, it contained socialists of all kinds, including
libertarian socialists (known by various names, including
anarchists,
anarcho-communists and Bakuninists) as well as the more authoritarian
Marxists and
social democrats.
The First International was split into two after
Mikhail Bakunin, the foremost anarchist, and
Karl Marx differed on both principles and practical courses of action.
The Second International is a collection of moderate leftist political parties. For example, the
British Labour Party and the
German Social Democrats are affiliated to it.
The Third International was the Communist International. Commonly referred to as
Comintern, it was created at the behest of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union for the express purpose of establishing Communist Parties in countries across the world. The first Communist International meeting was held in
Moscow on
March 2,
1917.
The
Fourth International was created in
1938 by
Leon Trotsky. It represents the
Trotskyite strain of
Communist though, particularly Trotsky's ideas of
Permanent Revolution.