Originally the organisation contained British trade unionists, anarchists, French socialists, Italian republicans and was organised by a small group around Karl Marx. Later disputes between Marx and Mikhail Bakunin, the most prominent anarchist in the International, led to a split between the Marxists and Bakuninists in which Bakunin's followers were ejected from the International.

It was largely held responsible for the Paris Commune of 1871. Although this was not in fact true Marx did write a defence of the Commune. Following which the centre of the IWMA was moved to New York where it expired in peace.