Socialist International facts for kids

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This page is about the modern alliance of social democratic political parties. For the historic alliance of left-wing and socialist parties, see Second International.

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Socialist International
Socialist International logo
Light red: Countries with a political party affiliated with the Socialist International Dark red: Countries with the ruling party affiliated with the Socialist International
Abbreviation	SI
Predecessor	Labour and Socialist International
Formation	3 June 1951; 74 years ago (1951-06-03)
Type	International non-governmental organization
Purpose	"Strengthen relations between the affiliated parties and to coordinate their political attitudes and activities"
Location	London, SW4 United Kingdom
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	119 political parties and 13 affiliated organizations
President	Pedro Sánchez
Vice-President	Temirlan Sultanbekov
Secretary General	Benedicta Lasi
Main organ	Congress of the Socialist International
Secessions	Progressive Alliance
Budget	£1.4 million (2014)
Website	socialistinternational.org

The Socialist International (SI) is a global group of political parties. These parties aim to create a fairer society where everyone has a say. They mostly include parties that believe in democratic socialism. This means they want to use democratic ways to achieve socialist goals, like making sure everyone has good healthcare and education.

The SI was officially started in 1951. However, its roots go back to the late 1800s. Today, it has 132 member parties and groups from over 100 countries. Many of its members have been in charge of governments around the world, especially in Europe. In 2013, some parties left the SI to form a new group called the Progressive Alliance.

The current leader of the SI is Pedro Sánchez, who is also the Prime Minister of Spain. The Secretary General is Benedicta Lasi from Ghana. These leaders were chosen at the SI Congress in Madrid, Spain, in November 2022.

Understanding the Socialist International's Journey

Early Beginnings: First and Second Internationals (1864–1916)

The very first international group for working people was called the International Workingmen's Association. It started in London in 1864. This group brought together different socialist, communist, and anarchist groups, along with trade unions. They wanted to improve conditions for workers. However, disagreements between different groups led to it breaking up in 1876.

Later, in 1889, the Second International was formed in Paris. This was a group of socialist parties. But when World War I started, they had different ideas about the war. This led to the Second International also breaking up in 1916.

Building Bridges: Labour and Socialist International (1919–1940)

After World War I, some parties wanted to restart the Second International. They formed the International Socialist Commission (ISC) in 1919. At the same time, Communist parties created their own group, the Communist International (Comintern), in Moscow.

Some parties didn't want to join either of these groups. So, they formed the International Working Union of Socialist Parties (IWUSP) in Vienna in 1921. Eventually, the ISC and the IWUSP decided to join forces. They created the Labour and Socialist International (LSI) in 1923. This group lasted until 1940, when Nazism grew stronger and World War II began.

The Modern Era: Socialist International (1951–Present)

The Socialist International we know today was formed in Frankfurt in July 1951. It was created to continue the work of the LSI.

After World War II, the SI helped social democratic parties get back on their feet. This was especially true in countries like Portugal (1974) and Spain (1975), where dictatorships ended and democracy returned. For a long time, most SI members were from Europe. But after 1976, the SI started to include more parties from Latin America.

In the 1980s, the SI talked a lot with the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. They discussed important topics like peace and controlling weapons. The SI supported agreements that aimed to reduce nuclear weapons. Leaders from the SI met with US Presidents and Soviet leaders to discuss these issues.

Willy Brandt with outgoing secretary general Bernt Carlsson (left) and new secretary general Pentti Väänänen (right) at the Socialist International Congress in 1983

Since then, the SI has welcomed many more parties and groups from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

In 2011, some ruling parties were removed from the SI. This happened after protests in countries like Tunisia and Egypt during the Arab Spring. These parties were removed because they were seen as undemocratic.

The Progressive Alliance Split (2013)

In 2013, some important parties, like the Social Democratic Party of Germany, started a new group called the Progressive Alliance. They felt that the SI was not democratic enough and was outdated. They also disagreed with the SI including certain political groups that they saw as undemocratic. For example, they didn't like that the Sandinista National Liberation Front was still a member.

After 2012, many large European parties, such as the British Labour Party, changed their membership status or left the SI. These parties now focus more on the Progressive Alliance. The SI, in turn, has focused more on countries in the "global south" (Africa, Asia, and Latin America).

Connecting with Latin America

For a long time, the Socialist International didn't pay much attention to Latin America. They saw it as a region mainly influenced by the United States. For example, they didn't speak out against the overthrow of the Socialist President Jacobo Árbenz in Guatemala in 1954.

However, after a military takeover in Chile in 1973, the SI realized they needed to get more involved. They started to support groups like the Sandinista National Liberation Front in Nicaragua. These groups were fighting against dictatorships that were supported by the US.

In the 1990s, some non-socialist parties joined the SI. They saw the economic power of European countries and wanted to benefit from these connections. Some critics said that the SI became a place where parties joined just to connect with powerful European politicians. For example, the Institutional Revolutionary Party from Mexico, which ruled for 70 years, joined. In the next decade, many left-wing parties that came to power in Latin America chose to stay separate from the SI.

Symbol of the Socialist International

The symbol of the Socialist International is the fist and rose. This design was first used by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in 1977. It's a symbol that many SI member parties use or have used.

Leaders of the Socialist International

Presidents

As of 2025, there have been nine presidents of the Socialist International.

No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Term of office			Political party		Congress(es)	Country	Vice-president
No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party		Congress(es)	Country	Name	Country
1		Morgan Phillips (1902–1963)	3 July 1951	6 July 1957	6 years, 3 days		Labour Party	I–IV	United Kingdom
2		Alsing Andersen (1893–1962)	6 July 1957	9 September 1963	6 years, 65 days		Social Democratic Party of Denmark	V–VII	Denmark
3		Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963)	9 September 1963	14 December 1963 †	96 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany	VIII	West Germany
4		Bruno Pittermann (1905–1983)	5 September 1964	26 November 1976	12 years, 82 days		Socialist Party of Austria	IX–XII	Austria
5		Willy Brandt (1913–1992)	26 November 1976	17 September 1992	15 years, 296 days		Social Democratic Party of Germany	XIII–XVIII	West Germany
6		Pierre Mauroy (1928–2013)	17 September 1992	10 November 1999	7 years, 54 days		Socialist Party	XIX–XX	France
7		António Guterres (b. 1949)	10 November 1999	15 June 2005	5 years, 217 days		Socialist Party	XXI–XXII	Portugal
8		George Papandreou (b. 1952)	30 January 2006	25 November 2022	16 years, 300 days		Panhellenic Socialist Movement	XXII–XXV	Greece
8		George Papandreou (b. 1952)	30 January 2006	25 November 2022	16 years, 300 days		Movement of Democratic Socialists	XXII–XXV	Greece
9		Pedro Sánchez (b. 1972)	25 November 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 266 days		Spanish Socialist Workers' Party	XXVI	Spain	Temirlan Sultanbekov	Kyrgyzstan