For the last twenty years or so, the majority of the world’s teachers unions have joined the general international trade union movement. This process has put an end to the existence of the international “professional” (specialised) organizations. Among these, the Fédération internationale des professeurs de l’enseignement secondaire officiel (Fipeso) (International Federation of Secondary Teachers) had had a prominent position. However it had been for a long time considered as essentially European and, because of this, suspected of being elitist and of embodying the divisions among teachers in Europe. But, as did the Confédération mondiale des organisations de la profession enseignante (Cmope) (World Organisation of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP)) of which it was a constituent federation, it took advantage of its non-alignment during the Cold War to attract unions above concerned with maintaining the unity of the teaching profession. In the 80s it was an organisation represented on all five continents and played an important role in developing trade unions in Africa and Latin America, as well as in integrating East European teachers’ unions after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The purpose of this paper is to review some key moments in this paradoxical history.