ABSTRACT
The international level was kept alive by the labour movement in the most difficult and critical of circumstances. Internationalism must therefore have satisfied a need and fulfilled the aspirations of the participating organisations and persons. The choice to compose the International from national federations instead of industrial ones was determining for the character of the organisation. The interaction between governments and trade unions was another new element. Already in the First World War, socialist parties had joined various governments and trade unions had supported the war efforts of their country, irrespective of the camp to which they belonged. In the period between the two World Wars, the international activities of the trade unions increased strongly, both in scope and in intensity. National federations exchanged delegations and attended each other's congresses. The development of a transnational labour market and transnational commerce, encouraged the young labour movement of the industrial countries to work together at the international level.
