It all began in 1948... AIESEC - an organization that today spans the globe, with a membership of over 60,000 people in 81 countries. The concept of an international organization arranging the exchange of student trainees was not entirely new. In the 1930's, many Scandinavian business schools had organized a formal exchange program of their own. It was called PRAXIS and, though quite small, it was effective. But PRAXIS could not withstand the anxieties and destruction of global war. Thus PRAXIS became one of the many casualties of World War II. The need in the 1930's that created PRAXIS was even more prevalent at the end of World War II. An exchange organization was needed to fill the void.
The need could clearly be seen. A whole generation of European managers were killed in the War. Factories and enterprises were in desperate need of executives, managers and leaders. A heavy burden was therefore placed on the business schools of Europe. It was necessary for them to produce a large number of well-trained individuals, capable of taking on significant responsibility. The burden was just as great for the students themselves, for they would be called upon to help lead the economic recovery of war-torn Europe. They would be given a great challenge at an early age. They had learned much from their textbooks, but they had very little practical experience to guide them. And experience, they say, is the best teacher of all.

Europe at this point lay in a state of ruin. Some of its most beautiful cities were destroyed, and 20 million of its finest citizens were dead. The amount of damage to European factories, businesses, and property was in excess of 1,000,000,000,000 US dollars. But perhaps worse than the physical damage was the hatred and bitterness that the war had produced. An organization was needed to bridge the gap, to bring the people of Europe into harmony. Students of Economics and Business realized this as much as any other group, and started an organization very similar to AIESEC in 1946. It was to be headquartered in Prague, Czechoslovakia and would administer an international exchange of students so they could obtain practical business experience in an international setting.
Yet the fate of this forerunner of AIESEC was not at all successful. With the growing of the political separation that divided Eastern Europe from the West, this young Prague-based organization was destined to fail. The students who had founded this exchange program gave into political realities. After a very short existence of only two years, from 1946 to 1948, the organization was dissolved.

AIESEC Is Born: The idea for organizing some sort of exchange somehow managed to stay alive. All agreed that the need for an exchange was as great as ever. The European students were still lacking the practical business experience necessary for the rebuilding of their devastated countries. And just as important, the students then believed that they were charged with a responsibility to increase international understanding and cooperation. After years without success, the students of Europe hoped to create international friendships once again.

They worked on the notion of such a student organization in the last months of 1948, just after the Prague organization had been disbanded. By March of 1949, they were ready. AIESEC - L'Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commercial - was given life. A conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden in March, 1949 with representatives from seven European nations: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. It was then that AIESEC was officially founded. It was decided that the Stockholm meeting would be named the first International Congress of AIESEC, and that there would be such a International Congress every year. A constitution was written that included the purpose of the new Association: "AIESEC is an independent, non-political, and international organization which has as its purpose to establish and promote the friendly relations between the members... The function of the members is to supply information on study conditions, arrange trainee exchanges, provide contacts and other facilities for student visitors, and undertake exchange visits of students." Symbolically as important, the first AIESEC Traineeship Exchange was held. It was by today's standards quite small - only 89 students were matched to traineeships. But, by all accounts, it was a beginning.

Extension Is The Name Of The Game: From the very start AIESEC had dynamic ideas and dynamic programs, and as such was able to attract a great amount of interest from both the business and student communities. In a few short years, AIESEC had grown at an incredible pace. The fifth Annual International Congress was held in March, 1953 in Nurnberg, Germany - a country that was not even a member of the Association five years earlier. The Association had more than doubled in size, as 16 countries now flew the AIESEC banner. In addition to the original founding nations, AIESEC had spread to Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Saar, Spain, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. AIESEC had indeed succeeded with its major aim. The students of nations who had fought against each other in war, were now coming together in AIESEC with a great cooperative spirit, guaranteeing AIESEC's existence. The entire AIESEC membership worked arm in arm to promote the health of the young Association. Their efforts were rewarded as AIESEC continued to grow.