International Communist Movement Salon Bulletin 2023 Issue 2: The Establishment and Evolution of the Second International
In response to the spirit of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies (IMS) to promote disciplinary development, on the morning of February 16, 2023, the Department of International Communist Movement (ICM) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) held its second academic salon of 2023. Associate Researcher Li Kaixuan from the Office of Contemporary World Capitalism Research within the ICM Department delivered a report titled "The Establishment and Evolution of the Second International." The meeting was chaired by Researcher Pan Jin’e, Director of the Department of International Communist Movement, and attended by all research staff and select doctoral students of the ICM Department.
Director Pan Jin’e noted that the first academic salon of 2023 achieved a positive response, winning the attention and affirmation of colleagues throughout the Academy [1]. The ICM Department should continuously summarize its experiences, continue to refine and optimize these academic salon activities, explore new paths for the integration of research and education that align with disciplinary development, and continue to advance the "Foundation Strengthening Project" [2] for the International Communist Movement discipline.
"The Establishment and Evolution of the Second International" constitutes the content of Chapter Three of the History of the International Communist Movement textbook. Associate Researcher Li Kaixuan conducted a trial lecture during this salon. She first provided a detailed explanation of the historical background of the Second International, then introduced its establishment, activities, bankruptcy, and historical status. In the 1870s and 1880s, the capitalist system became fully established in the major capitalist countries of Europe and America. During this period, the scale of the workers' movement continuously expanded, and the intensity, content, and methods of struggle were greatly improved compared to the 1850s and 1860s. During this interval, Marx and Engels authored important works such as the Critique of the Gotha Programme and Anti-Dühring, providing the necessary ideological preparation for the development and growth of working-class political parties.
In the 1880s and 1890s, the establishment of working-class parties in various European and American countries laid the organizational foundation for the Second International. As capitalism transitioned from free competition to monopoly, the Second International held its first congress in Paris in 1889; it went bankrupt "ideologically and politically" in 1914. During its existence, the Second International promoted the integration of Marxism with the workers' movement, formulated new struggle tactics for the international revolutionary struggle of working-class parties and their respective national revolutions, and actively carried out struggles against capitalism, militarism, anarchism, and Bernsteinism [3]. The organizational form of the Second International was loose, adhering to the principle of organizational independence and autonomy [4]. Its organizational composition was complex, relying more on moral force to urge national parties to abide by congress resolutions. After the death of Engels, new divisions emerged within the international workers' movement, and the trend of gradualist reformism rose. The Second International carried out a struggle against revisionism but ultimately failed to prevent its spread.
During the trial lecture, the teachers of the research department engaged in a heated discussion regarding the teaching content and methods, offering suggestions for improvement. These included adjusting the proportions of different parts of the curriculum, streamlining the historical background, highlighting the main narrative thread more prominently in accordance with the textbook, and more accurately grasping relevant historical nodes, as well as appropriately increasing two-way interaction with students.
At the end of the salon, Associate Researcher Li Kaixuan stated that this activity was a profound "baptismal" transformation of her "teaching mindset." As a scholar, one’s research on the Second International can be highly specialized, but as an instructor, one must explain profound theories in simple language [5] based on the students' circumstances to stimulate interest and guide reflection. The teachers participating in this lecture possess profound academic foundations, accurate grasp of knowledge points, and rich teaching experience. Through friendly and open interaction, they offered constructive suggestions for improving Li Kaixuan’s teaching methods.
Doctoral students participating in this salon believed that the organizational form of the activity was both orderly and lively, with every participant serving as both a speaker and a learner, producing an effect where "one plus one is greater than two." Using this method of thematic presentation combined with interactive discussion not only expanded the audience's cognition of knowledge related to the Second International but also left a deeper impression than merely reading documents. The active discussion atmosphere and the clear goals of collective lesson preparation [6] allowed participants to gain a holistic grasp of the background, development, historical status, and academic controversies of the Second International in a highly efficient manner within a short timeframe. This collaborative mode of work also helps research staff increase mutual understanding and facilitates strengthened cooperation in academic research and teaching. This salon had an active atmosphere, significant learning effects, and was both relaxed and efficient, generating multi-dimensional influence.
The International Communist Movement Academic Salon is an academic activity held irregularly by the ICM Research Department since 2018. Over the past few years, it has achieved good results in cultivating disciplinary talent. This year's teaching trial lectures have further enlivened the atmosphere of the academic salon.