Proletarian internationalism

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Proletarian internationalism is a Marxist social class theory whose concept is that members of the working class should act in solidarity towards world revolution and support working people in other countries, rather than following their respective national governments. Proletarian internationalism is summed up in the slogan, Workers of all countries, unite!, the last line of The Communist Manifesto. Early unionists learned that more members meant more power because by joining together the workers gained greater bargaining power. Thus, taken to an international level, it would further increase the power of the working class versus that of their bosses.

Proletarian internationalism also claims itself to be a deterrent against wars amongst nations, because people with a common interest are less likely to take up arms against one another, however they are more likely to do so against the ruling class that Marxists believe oppress workers. According to Marxist theory the antonym of proletarian internationalism is bourgeois nationalism.

In contrast, some, like George Orwell, have perceived the social realities to be quite different, that "in all countries the poor are more national than the rich." ^[1]