International Socialism redirects here. For the journal of the same name see International Socialism (journal)

Proletarian internationalism is a Marxist social class theory concept that members of the working class should act in solidarity towards world revolution and support working people in other countries, rather than following their respective national governments. Proletarian internationalism is summed up in the slogan, Workers of all countries, unite!, the last line of The Communist Manifesto. Early unionists learned that more members meant more power because by joining together the workers gained greater bargaining power. Thus, taken to an international level, it would further increase the power of the working class versus that of their bosses.

Proletarian internationalism also claims itself to be a deterrant against wars amongst nations, because people with a common interest are less likely to take up arms against one another, however they are more likely to do so against the ruling class that Marxists believe oppress workers. According to Marxist theory the antonym of proletarian internationalism is bourgeois nationalism.

This is of course quite different from the view of some democratic socialists, like George Orwell, who has stated that "in all countries the poor are more national than the rich."^*.

See also

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• Marxism
• Communism
• Industrial Workers of the World

References and external links

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• Internationalism and Nationalism by Liu Shaoqi
• Marxism and Nationalism by Tom Lewis
• Internationalist website (Ultra left/Left communist)
• Internationalist website (Trotskyist)

Communism | Socialism | Political terms | Political theories | Marxist theory | Internationale