The Internationale

The Internationale by Pirate Press, 1987.

The poster features the words of The Internationale, laid over a photo of anarchist militia members during the Spanish Revolution and Civil War.

The Internationale was written originally in French by Eugene Pottier, following the defeat of the Paris Commune in 1871. Pottier had been a member of the International Workingmen's Association and taken part in the Commune.

The song is a call to arms to workers and peasants to face the final battle to overthrow capitalism and establish a new society.

The song has been adopted by anarchists, communists and revolutionaries all over the world and translated into many languages. For a time before the Second World War it was the Soviet Anthem, and could be heard played by musicians during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.

There are many English translations. Our version is taken from The Big Red Songbook.

------------------------------------------------------------------

After the defeat of Napoleon III's army in the Franco Prussian War, the workers of Paris, completely surrounded by the Prussians, refused to accept the authority of the new Third Republic government.

While under seige, Parisians starved and froze to death. Some managed to save themselves by eating cats, dogs and rats. In March 1871, they established the Paris Commune

After seizing power, the Communards set about creating a new society, influenced by the radical ideas of feminism, anarchism, and revolutionary social democracy. In their vision for a new society, they separated church and state, abolished child labour, and handed over abandoned businesses to workers' cooperatives. Marx and Engels later described the Commune as the first 'dictatorship of the proletariat'.

At its first meeting on 28 March 1871, the Commune enacted several radical decrees. It abolished the death penalty and military conscription, and sent delegates to other cities in the hope of inspiring similar uprisings across France. 

In May, the national French army brutally suppressed the Commune during a week of fierce street fighting known as the "Bloody Week" ("La Semaine Sanglante"). Between 10,000 and 20,000 Communards were killed. The army took over 43,000 prisoners; of those, 95 were immediately sentenced to death, while thousands more were imprisoned or deported to penal colonies.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Workers and peasants worldwide confront shared struggles, primarily exploitation by capitalist forces. Internationalism is not just a choice but a fundamental necessity for any truly radical movement.

Capitalism operates on a global scale, with capitalists pitting populations against one another, shifting production to wherever costs are lowest. This system drives the super-exploitation of natural resources and people in poorer nations, exacerbating the devastating effects of climate change. As a result, millions are left with harrowing choices: face mass starvation or flee their homes in search of survival.

In the face of these challenges, international solidarity is essential. To inspire and unite, we have gathered a collection of radical posters from across the globe, reflecting the shared fight against oppression and inequality.