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National Revival and Workers Liberation in the Polish Issue—The Differences Between Marx and Engels and Proudhonists During the First International



Author(s)

ZHANG Jiong

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5313/2023.11.002

Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China

In the international communist movement in the 19th century, the national uprising in Europe and the workers’ movement were intertwined, forming a complex historical background. The Polish National Uprising in 1863 became a historical opportunity for the establishment of the First International. Although the unity of the British workers and the French workers was the realistic basis of the First International, the French workers showed a vague attitude different from the British workers on the Polish issue. In the first Congress of the First International, the French workers who almost are Proudhonists rejected the issue of supporting the Polish nation against the Tsar Russian oppression. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon did not link the Polish issue with the workers’ movement, while he insisted that social and economic issues should not be confused with political reconstruction, and artificially separated national revival from workers’ liberation. In order to promote and assist the establishment of the First International, Marx made certain consideration and concessions on national issues in the formulation of its declaration and constitution. Then Engels, commissioned by Marx, made some specific interpretations that they based on the difference between nation and nationality, and adhere it to the international national principle, both clearly shows the Marxism view of nation state, reveals the risk if international communist movement limited to the principle of nationalities, and also further reveals the importance to combine two great cause, national revival and workers liberation.

Polish issue, national revival, worker liberation, the First International, Proudhonism

ZHANG Jiong. (2023). National Revival and Workers Liberation in the Polish Issue—The Differences Between Marx and Engels and Proudhonists During the First International. Philosophy Study, November 2023, Vol. 13, No. 11, 468-476.