| 1872 Hague Congress | |
|---|---|
 Friedrich Engels andKarl Marx at the Hague Congress | |
| Date | 2–7 September 1872 |
| Location | The Hague |
| Participants | 65 delegates from 15 “regional” organizations |
TheHague Congress was the fifth congress of theInternational Workingmen's Association (IWA), held from 2–7 September 1872 inThe Hague, the Netherlands.
A total of 65 delegates from 15 “regional” organizations attended; a third of the delegates did not attend. At this congress, a split occurred between theMarxists and theBakuninists, when theMarx-aligned delegates voted to expelMikhail Bakunin and move the General Council from London to New York, precipitating the organization's decline.[1]
The Bakunites held a separatecongress a week later inSaint-Imier (Switzerland), where they formed theAnti-authoritarian International.
Josep Termes noted, "the Congress took place in a tense atmosphere, with the two most important factions openly at odds: the authoritarian (Marxist) and the federalist (Anarchist)." The first incident arose over the rejection of a proposal by the delegations of theSpanish Federation, the Belgian Federation, and theJura Federation to have voting by federation. This led the Spanish and Jura delegates to declare "that they would not take part in any vote and would attend the sessions only to protest against the majority’s maneuver."[2]
By a broad majority—29 votes in favor, 5 against, and 8 abstentions—the congress ratified the Marxist theses approved at previous congresses concerning "the formation of theproletariat into a political party" and the link between economic and political struggle. The Bakuninist delegateJames Guillaume commented: "The majority wants to conquer political power; the minority wants to destroy political power..."[3]
A five-member commission was named to give a ruling on the question of Bakunin’sInternational Alliance of Socialist Democracy, formally disbanded but believed by the General Council to still be operating within the International. The commission proposed expelling Bakunin and Guillaume which was approved by the Congress.[citation needed]
The expulsion prompted some delegates—the four Spanish delegates, five Belgians, two Dutch, one American, and two members of the Jura Federation—to sign a statement read by the delegate from The Hague section expressing their disagreement. The statement "noted that they would maintain administrative relations with the General Council but at the same time establish direct relations with all the Regional Federations; they pledged to uphold the autonomy of the federations if the General Council tried to direct them; they decided to abide by the statutes approved at the Geneva congress, without accepting subsequent modifications."[4] The dissidents consummated the split from theFirst International at aseparate congress inSaint-Imier in Switzerland where, forming theAnti-authoritarian International.[5]
The conference had an effect on Spanish far left politics. Representing theFederación Regional Española (Spanish Regional Federation), four delegates—all Bakuninists—attended the Hague Congress:Farga Pellicer,Morago, N. Alonso Marselau (a former republican clergyman who would eventually join the ranks ofCarlism), and Alerini (a refugee from theParis Commune). Representing the MarxistNueva Federación Madrileña [es] werePaul Lafargue—who would not return to Spain—andJosé Mesa y Leompart [es], editor of the newspaperLa Emancipación [es].[6] Although the commission charged with investigating anarchist agitation proposed expelling Bakunin and Guillaume, it recommended absolving the four Spanish delegates "in view of their formal statements that they are not part of the 'Alliance'."[7]
