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Socialist International | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | SI |
| Founded | 3 July 1951 |
| Type | Political international |
| Headquarters | London |
| Website | https://www.socialistinternational.org/ |
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The Socialist International (SI) is an international association of social democratic, democratic socialist and labour parties founded in 1951 as the successor to the Labour and Socialist International. It is one of the largest political internationals in the world, with member parties across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Although the Socialist International claims to promote socialism, democracy and social justice, its member parties have largely abandoned Marxism in favour of reformism and parliamentary politics. Throughout the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, many SI member parties implemented neoliberal economic reforms, privatization and austerity measures while in government. Several member parties have also supported NATO military interventions and the foreign policy objectives of Western imperialist states.
The decline of the Socialist International's influence, together with criticism of its reformist politics, led to the establishment of alternative internationals such as the Progressive Alliance in 2013 and Sovintern in 2026.
History[edit | edit source]
The Socialist International was founded in Frankfurt, West Germany, on 3 July 1951 by socialist and labour parties seeking to rebuild international cooperation following the Second World War. It traces its origins to the Second International through the Labour and Socialist International, which ceased to function during the war.
During the Cold War, the Socialist International strongly opposed the Soviet Union and aligned itself with Western social democracy. Many of its member parties later formed governments in Europe and elsewhere, where they generally pursued mixed-market economies rather than socialist transformation.