The Socialist International is a worldwide organisation of democratic socialist, social democratic, socialist, and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.

History

The Second International, which was formed in 1889 and dissolved on the eve of World War I in 1914, consitituted some of the same parties that would later form the Socialist International. Among the Second International's most famous actions were its 1889 declaration of 1 May as International Labour Day and its 1910 declaration of 8 March as International Women's Day. While the Second International was split by the outbreak of World War I, a skeleton form survived through the International Socialist Commission. The International re-formed in 1923 (as the Labour and Socialist International), and was reconstituted again, in its present form, after World War II (during which many social democratic and socialist parties had been suppressed in Nazi-occupied Europe).

During the post-World War II period, the SI aided social democratic parties in re-establishing themselves when dictatorship gave way to democracy in Portugal (1974) and Spain (1975). Until its 1976 Geneva Congress, the Socialist International had few members outside Europe and no formal involvement with Latin America. In the 1980s, most SI parties gave their backing to the Nicaraguan Sandinistas (FSLN), whose left-wing government had incited enmity from the United States. Since then, the SI has admitted as member-parties not only the FSLN but also the centre-left Puerto Rican Independence Party, as well as the ex-Communist parties such as the Italian Democrats of the Left (Democratici di Sinistra (DS)) and the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO).

The Party of European Socialists, a European political party active in the European Parliament, is an associated organisation of the Socialist International.

The current Secretary General of the Socialist International is Luis Ayala (Chile), who has held the post since 1989.

Presidents

• Morgan Phillips 1951-1957
• Alsing Andersen 1957-1962
• Erich Ollenhauer 1963
• Bruno Pittermann 1964-1976
• Willy Brandt 1976-1992
• Pierre Mauroy 1992-1999
• António Guterres 1999-2005
• George Papandreou 2006-present

Honorary Presidents

• Pierre Mauroy
• Ruben Berrios Martinez
• Philippe Busquin
• Alan García
• Anita Gradin
• Elazar Granot
• Anker Jørgensen
• Neil Kinnock
• Enrique Silva Cimma
• Mário Soares
• Hans-Jochen Vogel

Summits

1. Frankfurt 1951
2. Milan 1952
3. Stockholm 1953
4. London 1955
5. Vienna 1957
6. Hamburg 1959
7. Rome 1961
8. Amsterdam 1963
9. Brussels 1964
10. Stockholm 1966
11. Eastbourne 1969
12. Vienna 1972
13. Geneva 1976
14. Vancouver 1978
15. Madrid 1980
16. Albufeira 1983
17. Lima 1986
18. Stockholm 1989
19. Berlin 1992
20. New York 1996
21. Paris 1999
22. São Paulo 2003
23. Athens 2008

Member parties

||  || Social Democratic Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Socialist Party of Albania ||   in opposition ||

||  || Socialist Forces Front ||   in opposition ||

||  || Social Democratic Party ||   in government ||

||  || Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola ||   in government ||

||  || Armenian Revolutionary Federation ||   in opposition ||

||  || Socialist Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Radical Civic Union ||   in opposition ||

||  || People's Electoral Movement ||   in government ||

||  || Australian Labor Party ||   in government ||

||  || Social Democratic Party of Austria ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Barbados Labour Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Socialist Party Different ||   in opposition ||

||  || Socialist Party ||   junior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Social Democratic Party ||   in opposition || part of the Alliance for Dynamism and Democracy

||  || Alliance of Independent Social Democrats ||   in government ||

||  || Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina ||   in government ||

||  || Democratic Labour Party ||   junior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Party of Bulgarian Social Democrats ||   in opposition || part of Coalition for Bulgaria

||  || Bulgarian Socialist Party ||   in opposition || part of Coalition for Bulgaria

||  || Party for Democracy and Progress / Socialist Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Social Democratic Front ||   in opposition ||

||  || New Democratic Party ||   in opposition||

||  || African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde ||   in government ||

||  || Socialist Party of Chile ||   in government || part of Concert of Parties for Democracy

||  || Social Democrat Radical Party ||   in government || part of Concert of Parties for Democracy

||  || Party for Democracy ||   in government  || part of Concert of Parties for Democracy

||  || Colombian Liberal Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Ivorian Popular Front ||   in government ||

||  || National Liberation Party  ||   in government ||

||  || Social Democratic Party of Croatia ||   in opposition ||

||  || New Antilles Movement ||   in opposition ||

||  || Movement for Social Democracy ||    junior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Czech Social Democratic Party ||   in goverment||

||  || Social Democrats ||   in opposition ||

||  || Dominican Revolutionary Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Party of the Democratic Left ||   in government || part of the PAIS Alliance

||  || National Democratic Party ||   in government ||

||  || Convergence for Social Democracy ||   in opposition ||

||  || Social Democratic Party ||   in government ||

||  || Social Democratic Party of Finland ||   in opposition ||

||  || Socialist Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Social Democratic Party of Germany ||   in opposition ||

||  || National Democratic Congress ||   in government||

||  || Panhellenic Socialist Movement ||   in government ||

||  || National Union of Hope ||   in government ||

||  || Rally of the Guinean People ||   in opposition || has no seats in parliament as it boycotted last elections

||  || Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats ||   in government (part of coalition) ||

||  || Hungarian Socialist Party ||   in government ||

||  || Hungarian Social Democratic Party ||   in government || part of an alliance with the Hungarian Socialist Party

||  || Social Democratic Alliance ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Patriotic Union of Kurdistan ||   junior party in coalition cabinet || part of the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan

||  || Labour Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Israeli Labor Party ||   junior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || New Movement-Meretz ||   in opposition ||

||  || Democrats of the Left ||   in opposition || part of the Democratic Party

||  || Democratic Left ||   in opposition || has no seats in parliament

||  || Italian Socialist Party ||   in opposition || has no seats in parliament

||  || People's National Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Social Democratic Party ||   in government || part of the DPJ-led coalition

||  || Progressive Socialist Party ||   junior party in coalition cabinet || part of the March 14 Alliance

||  || Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party ||   in opposition || has no seats in parliament

||  || Social Democratic Party of Lithuania ||   in opposition ||

||  || Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party ||   junior party in coalition cabinet

|| || Social Democratic Union of Macedonia ||   in opposition ||

||  || Democratic Action Party ||   in opposition || part of the Pakatan Rakyat

||  || Alliance for Democracy in Mali ||   in government || part of the Alliance for Democracy and Progress

||  || Rally for Mali ||   in opposition || part of the Front for Democracy and the Republic

||  || Labour Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Rally of Democratic Forces ||   in opposition ||

||  || Mauritian Militant Movement ||   in government|| part of the MMM-MSM alliance

||  || Mauritian Labour Party ||   in government || part of the Alliance Sociale

||  || Party of the Democratic Revolution ||   in opposition || part of the Coalition for the Good of All

||  || Institutional Revolutionary Party ||   in opposition || part of the Alliance for Mexico

||  || Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party ||   in government ||

||  || Social Democratic Party of Montenegro ||   junior party in coalition cabinet || part of Coalition for a European Montenegro

||  || Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro ||   senior party in coalition cabinet || part of Coalition for a European Montenegro

||  || Socialist Union of Popular Forces ||   junior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || FRELIMO ||   in government

||  || South West Africa People's Organisation ||   in government ||

||  || Nepali Congress ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Labour Party  ||   junior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || New Zealand Labour Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Sandinista National Liberation Front ||   in government ||

||  || Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism ||   in opposition ||

||  Northern Ireland || Social Democratic and Labour Party ||   junior party in coalition cabinet

||  || Norwegian Labour Party ||   senior party in coalition cabinet

||  || Pakistan Peoples Party ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Democratic Revolutionary Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Revolutionary Febrerista Party ||   in government || part of Patriotic Alliance for Change

||  || Peruvian Aprista Party ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Democratic Left Alliance ||   in opposition ||

||  || Union of Labour ||   in opposition || has no seats in parliament

||  || Socialist Party ||   in government

||  || Puerto Rican Independence Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Social Democratic Party ||   in government

||  || Party of Socialists and Democrats ||   in opposition ||

||  || Socialist Party of Senegal ||   in opposition || has no seats in parliament as it boycotted last elections

||  || Democratic Party ||   senior party in coalition cabinet || part of For a European Serbia

||  || Social Democratic Party ||   || has no seats in parliament ||

||  || Direction – Social Democracy ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Social Democrats ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ||   in government ||

||  || African National Congress ||   in government ||

||  || Swedish Social Democratic Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Social Democratic Party of Switzerland ||   in coalition cabinet ||

||  || Constitutional Democratic Rally ||   in government ||

||  || Republican People's Party ||   in opposition ||

||  || Labour Party ||   in government ||

||  || Democratic Socialists of America ||   no representation || not an electoral party ||

||  || Socialist Party of Uruguay ||   in government || part of the Broad Front

||  || New Space ||   in government || part of the Broad Front

||  || Democratic Action ||   in opposition ||

||  || Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai ||   senior party in coalition cabinet ||

Country	Name	Government	Notes
	Movement for Socialism	in opposition

Consultative parties

• - Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party
• - Belarusian Social Democratic Party
• - Front for Democracy in Burundi
• - Dominica Labour Party-in government
• - Fiji Labour Party
• - Gabonese Progress Party
• - Social Democratic Convergence
• - Forward-in government
• - Working People's Alliance
• - Rally for Mali
• - Congress of Democrats
• - Democratic Party of Moldova-in government
• - Party for a Country of Solidarity
• - Akbayan Citizens' Action Party
• - Philippine Democratic Socialist Party
• - Union of Social Democrats
• - Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party-in government
• - Saint Lucia Labour Party
• - Unity Labour Party-in government
• - Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor
• - Democratic Convention of African Peoples
• - Democratic Forum for Labour and Freedom
• Northern Cyprus - Republican Turkish Party (pending consultation)
• - Socialist Party of Ukraine
• - Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (merged with the Human Rights Party into the Ukrainian Social Democratic Party)

Observer parties

• - Botswana National Front
• - Bulgaria Social Democracy
• - Patriotic Front for Progress
• - Alternative Democratic Pole
• - Union for Democracy and Social Progress
• - Organisation of the People in Struggle
• - Janata Dal
• - Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran
• - Jordanian Democratic Party of the Left
• - Social Democratic Party
• - Fatah
• - Palestinian National Initiative
• - Just Russia-support president Medvedev
• - Democratic Society Party
• - Polisario Front-in government
• - Yemeni Socialist Party

Fraternal organisations

• International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International
• International Union of Socialist Youth
• Socialist International Women

Associated organisations

• International Federation of the Socialist and Democratic Press
• International Labour Sports Confederation
• International League of Religious Socialists
• International Union of Social Democratic Teachers
• International Jewish Labor Bund
• National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (United States of America)
• Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
• Party of European Socialists
• Social Democratic Group of the Latin American Parliament
• World Labour Zionist Movement

See also

• African Socialist International
• PARLATINO
• International Workingmen's Association ("First International")
• International Working Union of Socialist Parties ("Second and a half international"/"Two-and-a-half International")
• Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière (SFIO, the French section of the Second International)

References

1. The Dictionary of Contemporary Politics of South America, Routledge, 1989

External links

• Official site of the Socialist International
• Official site of the Party of European Socialists