The international Section française de l’Internationale ouvrière? French socialism in the International and its relationship with the Partito Socialista Italiano during diplomatic crises (1911–1915)

Abstract This article explores the role of the Section française de l’Internationale ouvrière (SFIO) in the Second International and its response to international crises that threatened European peace before World War I. By 1914, the Second International had developed a unified antimilitarist stance, co-ordinating efforts through the International Socialist Bureau (ISB) against wars, exemplified during the Moroccan crises of 1905 and 1911 and the Italo–Turkish War (1911–12). The article investigates the SFIO’s engagement in antiwar activism, its interactions with the Partito Socialista Italiano (PSI) and the extent of internationalist consciousness within French socialism. Despite the SFIO’s active participation in international socialist movements, the relationship with the PSI revealed complexities, particularly as Italy’s delayed entry into World War I created tensions. This study situates itself within the historiographical renewal of socialism’s history, emphasizing transnational perspectives and the interconnectedness of socialist parties across Europe.