"The Internationale" was written by Eugene Pottier (words) and Pierre Degeyter (music) to celebrate the Paris Commune of March-May 1871: the first time workers took state power into their own hands. They established in the Commune a form of government more democratic than ever seen before. For more information, visit the International page at Rick Kuhn's Marxism page. ( Last revised on 04 May 2000.)