{i} name of a number of international socialist organizations of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; "Internationale", revolutionary socialist hymn
An association founded in 1924 to study the establishment of an international auxiliary language. In 1951, IALA presented Interlingua to the public by publishing the Interlingua-English Dictionary and Interlingua Grammar. Abbreviated IALA
An imaginary line on the Earth's surface at 180° longitude, mostly through the Pacific Ocean, to the east of which the calendar date is one day earlier than to the west
The international organization entrusted with overseeing the global financial system by monitoring foreign exchange rates and balance of payments, as well as offering technical and financial assistance when asked. Abbreviated as IMF
An international organization established to standardize and regulate international audio and telecommunications. Formerly known as International Telegraph Union. Abbreviation: ITU
The Herald Tribune an international daily newspaper, written in English and sold in many countries. Some of its articles are from the US, and it is often read by US citizens when they are abroad. Daily newspaper published in Paris. It has long been the staple source of English-language news for American expatriates, tourists, and businesspeople in Europe. Its roots are in the Paris Herald (established 1887); a merger in 1924 between its parent, the New York Herald, and the New York Tribune created the New York Herald-Tribune and the Paris Herald Tribune. The Paris edition, which was faring well at the time of its parent's demise in 1966, was renamed when it was rescued by a joint venture of the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Whitney Communications. The New York Times Co. and the Washington Post Co. became half-owners of the paper in 1991. The New York Times Co. became the full owner in 2003
International studies (IS) generally refers to the specific university degrees and courses which are concerned with the study of ‘the major political, economic, social, and cultural issues that dominate the international agenda’
International Security Assistance Force (10) (ISAF) is the name of a NATO-led security and development mission in Afghanistan which was established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 and consists of about 35,500 personnel as of 31 May 2007. Thirty-seven different nations have contributed troops to this military force, including contributions from North America, Europe and Australia
{i} international organization which monitors and regulates many aspects of the airline industry including safety standards and industry cooperation, IATA
Civilian service club. The largest such organization in the world, it was founded in Dallas, Texas, U.S. in 1917 to foster a spirit of "generous consideration" among peoples of the world and to promote good government, good citizenship, and active interest in civic, social, commercial, and moral welfare. Its activities include general community welfare projects, aid to the blind, promotion of knowledge, and support for the UN. Lions Clubs operate in some 190 countries
International organization founded in 1957 to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Based in Vienna, Austria, its activities include research on the applicability of nuclear energy to medicine, agriculture, water location, and industry; provision of technical assistance; development of radiation safeguards; and public-relations programs. Following the Persian Gulf War, IAEA inspectors were called on to certify that Iraq was not manufacturing nuclear weapons
International bank instituted by an agreement signed by Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union in 1963 to facilitate economic cooperation among member countries and promote their development. Cuba and Vietnam joined later. Its functions included making multilateral settlements in transferable rubles, advancing credit to members with temporary trade imbalances, accepting deposits in transferable rubles and in gold and convertible currencies, and conducting arbitrage and other financial operations. After the fall of the Soviet Union it became a Russian bank with a new charter
Main component organization of the World Bank. The IBRD lends money to middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries. Most of its funds come from sales of bonds in international capital markets. More than 180 countries are members of the IBRD. Each member's voting power is linked to its capital subscription; the U.S., with some one-sixth of the shares in the IBRD, has veto power over any proposed changes to the bank. See also International Monetary Fund; United Nations Development Programme
Groups of foreign volunteers who fought on the Republican side against the Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). So-called because their members initially came from some 50 countries, the International Brigades were recruited, organized, and directed by the Comintern, with headquarters in Paris. The U.S. contingent called itself the Abraham Lincoln Batallion. Many of the mostly young recruits were communists before they became involved in the conflict; more joined the party during the course of the war. The total number of volunteers reached about 60,000. The brigades were formally withdrawn from Spain late in 1938
{i} IBM, internationally acclaimed computer company, producer of home computers and related software and equipment (first incorporated as IBM in 1924 with headquarters in New York)
independent humanitarian institution founded to protect and assist victims of international and non-international armed conflict (gave rise to the International Movement of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent), ICRC
World Court, legal tribunal of the United Nations composed of 15 judges and located in The Hague which determines the final outcome of squabbles between international groups, ICJ
the court of law of the United Nations, based in The Hague in the Netherlands. It judges international cases, for example those connected with war crimes. or World Court Principal judicial body of the United Nations, located at The Hague. Its predecessor organization was the Permanent Court of International Justice, the judicial body of the League of Nations. Its first session was held in 1946. Its jurisdiction is limited to disputes between states willing to accept its authority on matters of international law. Its decisions are binding, but it has no enforcement power; appeals must be made to the UN Security Council. Its 15-member body of judges, each of whom serves a nine-year term, is elected by countries party to the court's founding statute. No two judges may come from the same country. See also European Court of Justice
Permanent judicial body established by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998) to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The court commenced operations on July 1, 2002, after the requisite number of countries (60) ratified the Rome Statute (some 140 countries signed the agreement). The ICC was established as a court of last resort to prosecute the most heinous offenses in cases where national courts fail to act. It is headquartered in The Hague. By 2002 China, Russia, and the U.S. had declined to participate in the ICC, and the U.S. had campaigned actively to have its citizens exempted from the court's jurisdiction
n. An imaginary line through the Pacific Ocean roughly corresponding to 180° longitude, to the east of which, by international agreement, the calendar date is one day earlier than to the west. an imaginary line that goes from the North Pole to the South Pole, to the east of which the date is one day later than it is to the west. Imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole that arbitrarily separates each calendar day from the next. It corresponds along most of its length to the 180th meridian of longitude but deviates to the east through the Bering Strait to avoid dividing Siberia and then deviates to the west to include the Aleutian Islands with Alaska. South of the Equator, another eastward deviation allows certain island groups to have the same day as New Zealand. The date line is a consequence of the worldwide use of timekeeping systems arranged so that local noon corresponds approximately to the time at which the Sun crosses the local meridian of longitude. See also standard time
the ILO a UN organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, which helps workers around the world by making sure they are treated fairly, paid equally for the same jobs, not forced to work in dangerous conditions etc. Specialized agency of the United Nations system dedicated to improving labour conditions and living standards throughout the world. Established in 1919 through the Treaty of Versailles as an agency of the League of Nations, the ILO became the first specialized agency affiliated with the UN in 1946. Its activities include compiling labour statistics, protecting international migrants, and safeguarding trade-union rights. Its delegates come from member governments (50%), labour (25%), and employers (25%). About 175 countries are represented in the ILO. It received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1969
Former industrial union in the U.S. and Canada that represented workers in the women's clothing industry. When it was formed in 1900, most of its members were Jewish immigrants working in sweatshops. Successful ILGWU strikes in New York in 1909-10 secured higher wages and shorter hours. Under the leadership of David Dubinsky (president 1932-66), the union grew from 45,000 members to almost half a million. Active in the effort to organize mass-production industries, it was expelled from the AFL in 1937 but returned in 1940. From the 1970s, membership shrank as U.S. firms moved garment production overseas, and in 1995 the ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees. See also AFL-CIO
special UN agency that was founded in 1944 to stabilize exchange rates and to facilitate international commerce and to provide monetary aid to countries suffering economic hardship, IMF
the IMF. Specialized agency of the United Nations system. It was conceived at the Bretton Woods Conference (1944) and officially founded in 1945 as a voluntary cooperative institution to help ensure the smooth international buying and selling of currency. More than 180 countries are members of the IMF. Its principal functions are stabilizing currency-exchange rates, financing the short-term balance-of-payments deficits of member countries, and providing advice and technical assistance to borrowing countries. Members contribute operating funds and receive voting rights according to their volume of international trade, national income, and international reserve holdings; the U.S. holds in excess of one-sixth of the voting rights, more than twice the percentage of any other member. The IMF has no coercive power over members, but it can refuse to lend money to members that do not agree to adhere to its policies; as a last resort it can ask members to withdraw from the organization. Critics of the IMF contend that the austerity and privatization measures it requires of borrowing countries reduce economic growth, deepen and prolong financial crises, and create severe hardships for the world's poorest people. See also International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; World Bank
{i} INCI, system of names for cosmetics and chemicals and waxes and oils and other ingredients of soaps on the basis of scientific names and other Latin and English words (for example: the INCI Name for "Shea Butter" is "Butyrospermum Parkii"; the INCI Name for "Vitamin E" is "tocopherol")
{i} INR, system that the World Health Organization and the International Committee on Thrombosis and Hemostasis established to report results of blood clotting tests
Organization for determining standards in most technical and nontechnical fields. Founded in Geneva in 1947, its membership includes more than 100 countries. An appropriate national body represents each country; for example, the U.S. member is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Standardization affects units of measurement, alphabetization and transliteration, and specifications for parts, materials, surfaces, processes, tools, methods of testing, and machines. The ISO publishes the results of its work as "International Standards" (IS). ISO standards are optimally reviewed every five years
A phonetic alphabet and diacritic modifiers sponsored by the International Phonetic Association to provide a uniform and universally understood system for transcribing the speech sounds of all languages. Set of symbols intended as a universal system for transcribing speech sounds. The promulgation and updating of the IPA has been a principal aim of the International Phonetic Association (Association Phonétique Internationale), founded in Paris in 1886. The first IPA chart was published in 1888. IPA symbols are based on an extended version of the Latin alphabet, with modifications of some letters and the use of additional symbols, some of which had been used in earlier phonetic alphabets. Diacritics are used primarily to show various kinds of secondary articulation
Temporary specialized agency of the United Nations system (1946-52). The IRO assisted refugees and displaced persons in Europe and Asia who could not or would not return home after World War II. Taking over the work of its principal predecessor, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, it also assumed responsibility for the legal protection and resettlement of refugees previously carried out by the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees. It was succeeded by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
officially International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) 20th-century Hindu religious movement. It was founded in the U.S. by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (1896-1977) in 1965. The organization claims a lineage of spiritual masters dating back to Caitanya (1485-1534?), whom it regards as an incarnation of Krishna. Hare Krishna became popular in the U.S. and Europe among young people of the 1960s and '70s counterculture, who often appeared in public places dressed in saffron robes, chanting, dancing, and asking for contributions. Members of the group are vegetarians. They renounce alcohol and drugs and chant several hours every day. Peace and joy are to be gained by surrendering to Krishna. Since the founder's death in 1977, the communes in which many members live have been governed by an international commission. The movement has endured several schisms since its founding and was among the first groups to be attacked by anticult organizations
officially International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) 20th-century Hindu religious movement. It was founded in the U.S. by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (1896-1977) in 1965. The organization claims a lineage of spiritual masters dating back to Caitanya (1485-1534?), whom it regards as an incarnation of Krishna. Hare Krishna became popular in the U.S. and Europe among young people of the 1960s and '70s counterculture, who often appeared in public places dressed in saffron robes, chanting, dancing, and asking for contributions. Members of the group are vegetarians. They renounce alcohol and drugs and chant several hours every day. Peace and joy are to be gained by surrendering to Krishna. Since the founder's death in 1977, the communes in which many members live have been governed by an international commission. The movement has endured several schisms since its founding and was among the first groups to be attacked by anticult organizations
Space station assembled from modules in Earth orbit largely by the U.S. and Russia, with assistance and components from a multinational consortium. The project, which began as a U.S. effort, was long delayed by funding and technical problems. Originally called Freedom in the 1980s, it was redesigned in the 1990s to reduce costs and expand international involvement, at which time it was renamed. In-orbit construction started in late 1998 with the launches of a Russian control module and a U.S.-built connecting node, which were linked in orbit by space shuttle astronauts. In mid 2000 a habitat and control-centre module was added, and later in the year the ISS received its first resident crew, comprising two Russians and an American. Other elements were subsequently joined to the station, with the overall plan calling for a complex of laboratories and habitats crossed by a long truss supporting four large solar power arrays. Station construction involved at least 16 countries, including Canada, Japan, Brazil, and 11 members of the European Space Agency. Much of the early work aboard the ISS would focus on long-term life-sciences and material-sciences research in the weightless environment. It was expected to serve as the basis for human operations in Earth orbit for at least the first quarter of the 21st century
Ten-digit number assigned before publication to a book or edition thereof. The ISBN identifies various elements of the work, grouping it within a national, geographic, language, or other convenient category and revealing its publisher, title, edition, and volume number. The ISBN is part of the International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD), which was prescribed by the International Organization for Standardization; delegates adopted the numbering system in 1969. The numbers are assigned by publishers and administered by designated national standard book numbering agencies such as the R.R. Bowker Co. in the U.S. and the Standard Book Numbering Agency Ltd. in Britain
{i} complete consistent metric system of units for scientists (with basic quantities oflength, time, electric current, temperature, luminous intensity, amount of substance and mass), IS
A complete, coherent system of units used for scientific work, in which the fundamental quantities are length, time, electric current, temperature, luminous intensity, amount of substance, and mass
or Système International d'Unités or SI system International decimal system of weights and measures derived from and extending the metric system of units. Adopted by the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1960, it was developed to eliminate overlapping but different systems of units of measures fostered by rapid advances in science and technology in the 19th-20th centuries. Its fundamental units include the metre (m) for length, the kilogram (kg) for mass, and the second (sec) for time. Derived units include those for force (newton, N), energy (joule, J), and power (watt, W)
United Nations agency headquartered in Geneva. Its roots can be traced to 1865, when the International Telegraph Union was established to coordinate international development of the telegraph. It acquired its present name in 1934 and became a UN specialized agency in 1947. Its activities include regulating allocation of radio frequencies, setting standards on technical and operational matters, and assisting countries in developing their own telecommunications systems
Former U.S. telecommunications company. It was founded in 1920 by Sosthenes and Hernand Behn as a holding company for their Caribbean-based telephone and telegraph companies. It expanded into the European market and became a major telecommunications manufacturer. In the 1960s and '70s ITT became a conglomerate, acquiring firms including the Sheraton Corp. and the Hartford Fire Insurance Co. It divested its telecommunications businesses in 1987, and in 1995 it split into three companies: ITT Hartford Group Inc. (insurance); ITT Industries Inc. (defense electronics and auto parts); and a "new" ITT Corp., which merged with Starwood Lodgings in 1997
An intergovernmental organization created in 1946 to control the rapid escalation of whaling. The original purpose of the IWC was to preserve whale stocks for commercial whalers. Whale populations, however, continued to decline, and in 1986 the IWC instituted a moratorium on commercial whaling that remains in effect. At the beginning of the 21st century, 40 countries belonged to the commission, but membership has fluctuated over the years. The commission's success has been limited by governments leaving the IWC, ignoring its policies, or breaching regulations
An influential modernist style in architecture that developed in Europe and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, characterized chiefly by regular, unadorned geometric forms, open interiors, and the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete. Architectural style that developed in Europe and the U.S. in the 1920s and '30s and dominated Western architecture in the mid 20th century. The term was first used in 1932 by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson in their essay "The International Style: Architecture Since 1922." The style's most common characteristics are rectilinear forms, open interior spaces, large expanses of glass, steel, and reinforced-concrete construction, and light, taut plane surfaces devoid of applied ornamentation. Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier are among the architects most clearly associated with the style. See also Bauhaus
formerly (1970-90) United Brands Co. U.S. company specializing in tropical produce and processed foods. It was formed in 1970 by the merger of United Fruit Co., a grower and marketer of bananas, and AMK Corp., the holding company for the meatpacker John Morrell and Co. Chiquita owns and leases extensive farms and plantations in Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. Over the course of the company's history, it has grown bananas, sugar, cocoa, and abaca and has harvested tropical woods, essential oils, and rubber. More recently the company has focused on bananas and other produce, and it also processes and distributes packaged foods. "Miss Chiquita," its well-known trademark, was introduced in 1944. The familiar Chiquita stickers were first applied to the company's bananas in 1963
(Fizik) The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1922 (although the idea of an international court was several centuries old), the Court was initially met with a good reaction from states and academics alike, with many cases submitted to it for its first decade of operation. With the heightened international tension of the 1930s the Court was used with decreasing regularity; by a resolution by the League of Nations on 18 April 1946, the Court ceased to exist, being replaced by the International Court of Justice
an organization that supports human rights, especially people's right to express their beliefs without being punished. Its members write to governments to persuade them to set free people who are in prison because of their political or religious beliefs. International human-rights organization. It was founded in 1961 by Peter Benenson, a London lawyer who organized a letter-writing campaign calling for amnesty for "prisoners of conscience." AI seeks to inform the public about violations of human rights, especially abridgments of freedom of speech and religion and the imprisonment and torture of political dissidents. It actively seeks the release of political prisoners and support of their families when necessary. Its members and supporters are said to number one million people in some 140 countries. Its first director, Sean MacBride, won the 1974 Nobel Prize for Peace; AI itself won the award in 1977
officially International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America (IBT) , formerly (until 1940) International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of America (IBT) Largest private-sector labour union in the U.S., representing truck drivers and workers in related industries such as aviation. It was formed in 1903 with the merger of two team-drivers' unions, and local deliverymen using horse-drawn vehicles remained the core membership until the 1930s, when intercity truck drivers became predominant. From 1907 to 1952 the union was headed by Daniel J. Tobin, who built it up from 40,000 members in 1907 to more than one million in 1950. Disclosures of corruption in the leadership led to the Teamsters' expulsion from the AFL-CIO in 1957. Between 1957 and 1988 three Teamsters presidents Dave Beck, Jimmy Hoffa, and Roy Williams were convicted of various criminal charges and sentenced to prison terms. (Hoffa has been missing, and presumed dead, since 1975.) While Teamsters representation of truck drivers declined with the growth of nonunion trucking companies in the 1980s, the union gained new members in clerical, service, and technology occupations. The union was readmitted to the AFL-CIO in 1987. Presidents Ron Carey (1992-99) and James P. Hoffa (1999- ), son of the former president, focused on job security and family issues
officially International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America (IBT) , formerly (until 1940) International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of America (IBT) Largest private-sector labour union in the U.S., representing truck drivers and workers in related industries such as aviation. It was formed in 1903 with the merger of two team-drivers' unions, and local deliverymen using horse-drawn vehicles remained the core membership until the 1930s, when intercity truck drivers became predominant. From 1907 to 1952 the union was headed by Daniel J. Tobin, who built it up from 40,000 members in 1907 to more than one million in 1950. Disclosures of corruption in the leadership led to the Teamsters' expulsion from the AFL-CIO in 1957. Between 1957 and 1988 three Teamsters presidents Dave Beck, Jimmy Hoffa, and Roy Williams were convicted of various criminal charges and sentenced to prison terms. (Hoffa has been missing, and presumed dead, since 1975.) While Teamsters representation of truck drivers declined with the growth of nonunion trucking companies in the 1980s, the union gained new members in clerical, service, and technology occupations. The union was readmitted to the AFL-CIO in 1987. Presidents Ron Carey (1992-99) and James P. Hoffa (1999- ), son of the former president, focused on job security and family issues
officially International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America (IBT) , formerly (until 1940) International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of America (IBT) Largest private-sector labour union in the U.S., representing truck drivers and workers in related industries such as aviation. It was formed in 1903 with the merger of two team-drivers' unions, and local deliverymen using horse-drawn vehicles remained the core membership until the 1930s, when intercity truck drivers became predominant. From 1907 to 1952 the union was headed by Daniel J. Tobin, who built it up from 40,000 members in 1907 to more than one million in 1950. Disclosures of corruption in the leadership led to the Teamsters' expulsion from the AFL-CIO in 1957. Between 1957 and 1988 three Teamsters presidents Dave Beck, Jimmy Hoffa, and Roy Williams were convicted of various criminal charges and sentenced to prison terms. (Hoffa has been missing, and presumed dead, since 1975.) While Teamsters representation of truck drivers declined with the growth of nonunion trucking companies in the 1980s, the union gained new members in clerical, service, and technology occupations. The union was readmitted to the AFL-CIO in 1987. Presidents Ron Carey (1992-99) and James P. Hoffa (1999- ), son of the former president, focused on job security and family issues
officially International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America (IBT) , formerly (until 1940) International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of America (IBT) Largest private-sector labour union in the U.S., representing truck drivers and workers in related industries such as aviation. It was formed in 1903 with the merger of two team-drivers' unions, and local deliverymen using horse-drawn vehicles remained the core membership until the 1930s, when intercity truck drivers became predominant. From 1907 to 1952 the union was headed by Daniel J. Tobin, who built it up from 40,000 members in 1907 to more than one million in 1950. Disclosures of corruption in the leadership led to the Teamsters' expulsion from the AFL-CIO in 1957. Between 1957 and 1988 three Teamsters presidents Dave Beck, Jimmy Hoffa, and Roy Williams were convicted of various criminal charges and sentenced to prison terms. (Hoffa has been missing, and presumed dead, since 1975.) While Teamsters representation of truck drivers declined with the growth of nonunion trucking companies in the 1980s, the union gained new members in clerical, service, and technology occupations. The union was readmitted to the AFL-CIO in 1987. Presidents Ron Carey (1992-99) and James P. Hoffa (1999- ), son of the former president, focused on job security and family issues
DFID formerly called the Overseas Development Administration (ODA); a British government department that gives money, advice, and help to poorer countries
officially International Working Men's Association Federation of workers' groups, founded in 1864 by British and French trade-union leaders. Its structure was highly centralized, based on local groups that were integrated into national federations. It was split by conflicting schools of socialist thought, including those of Karl Marx, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Louis-Auguste Blanqui, and Mikhail Bakunin. A clash between Marx's centralized socialism and Bakunin's anarchism in 1872 caused the International to split, and it was dissolved in 1876. Though it was feared at the time as a formidable power with millions of members, and several countries tried to have it outlawed, its membership was never more than 20,000 and it served mainly as a unifying force for labour in Europe
GCI, nongovernmental environmental organization established in 1993 to prevent man-made environmental disasters and to increase awareness of environmental threats and advocating the development of environmental law
{i} Japan's largest used car dealer that developed a unique business model that holds cars for only a week before selling them through auctions or through its "Dolphinet" website (as opposed to customary showrooms) 3. Other businesses related to car trade
{i} unit of the Reed Elsevier Group which is a leading global provider of professional classroom materials and services for Pre-Kindergarten through adult education More: www.harcourt.com
American corporation headquartered in Illinois, provider of consumer loans and credit services (operates in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom)
Leading U.S. truck manufacturer. It originated as International Harvester Co., which was incorporated in 1902, merging McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. (founded by Cyrus H. McCormick to market his mechanical reaper) with four smaller machinery makers. It became a pioneer in motorized trucks when it introduced its high-wheeled "auto wagons" for farmers. It began producing tractors in the 1930s and soon became a major manufacturer of earth-moving equipment. Facing economic difficulties in the early 1980s, it sold most of its U.S. construction-equipment business and disposed of its farm-equipment line to concentrate almost entirely on trucks, and in 1986 the company changed its name to Navistar International
or Socialist International (1889-1914) Federation of socialist political parties and trade unions that greatly influenced the European labour movement while supporting parliamentary democracy and opposing anarchism. Unlike the centralized First International, it was a loose federation that met in a number of cities at various intervals. By 1912 it represented the socialist parties of all European countries, the U.S., Canada, and Japan, with a membership of about nine million. It reaffirmed Marxist doctrine, but its main concern became the prevention of a general European war. When that failed, the International ended in 1914