Some moderate and conservative lawmakers considered favorable to macron have also announced they wont attend, and figures on both sides of the aisle have criticized macrons decision. The decline of the french communist party pcf was a key feature in french politics in the 1980s, one which was analysed in a number of scholarly studies. Maurice thorez archive 19001964 the resistance 194045 the algerian war 195462 mayjune 1968. Founded in 1920, it had a large influence in the xxth century, especially after the second world war, and is still important in the french political life, though it declined over years its national secretary is pierre laurent, since june 2010. I am neither knowledgeable enough, nor a good enough writer to render it vividly. The varying positions taken by the french communist party towards the war in indochina have provided a striking example of the difficulties and contradictions which a party encounters when it tries to conciliate its local political objectives with the overall grand design of proletarian revolution woven by the soviet union. Frances two big parties face longterm decline politico. Different from anything you can see in the city of lights, this architectural pearl, is situated in northeast paris, in 19th district, on the colonel fabien square, between the butteschaumont park, the canal villette and the canal saint martin. French communist daily fights bankruptcy world the. The french communist party is a communist party in france. Notably, in france the oncepowerful french communist party, which in the early postwar era was able to command about a third of the french popular vote, experienced a severe decline in later years. The french communist party chapter 25 the cambridge history. Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the pcf retains a strong influence in french politics, especially at the local level. The french communist party faced its greatest crisis with the fall of communism in eastern europe and the soviet union at the end of the 1980s and 1990s.
It was founded following the tours congress in december 1920. For decades, the french communist party pcf was among the strongest left parties in western europe. By the time he left office, the party s share of the vote had dropped to less than 10. French communist party has become a great communist party and that it effected its electoral campaign with an intran. Communist party, 196165 pcc cuban communist party pce spanish communist party pcf french communist party pci italian communist party pdpa peoples democratic party of afghanistan perestroika reconstruction or restructuring pki communist party of indonesia pla peoples liberation army china. What happened to the french and italian communist parties.
The decline of the french communist party cambridge core. Wright, rural revolution in france the peasantry in the twentieth century. The french communist party and britain in the second world war gavin bowd the french communist party pcf is not normally associated with britain. The french communist party has been accused of allowing these communist resisters to fall into the hands of the nazis. The troubled daily said it was placing itself under the protection of the people, and that it. French communist party drops hammer and sickle france 24.
In this chapter, i argue that the two are linked, that the party was constructed in different ways in different places, and that its decline is related to the bases on which it was originally built. The reasons for the decline of the french communist party. After years of retreat and opportunism and consequent loss of support and influence, the french communist party pcf is showing signs of life. Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the pcf retains a strong influence in french. From vacillation to resolve tells the littleknown story of the french communist party s role in the resistance movement against the nazis during world war ii. The full, longversion, directors cut version is a very long and complicated story. After 1956, the french communists entered a slow decline. The french communist party was a major force in twentiethcentury french political life. During the congress the majority of french socialists left the french section of the workers international sfio and joined the communist international set up by lenin in moscow in 1919. Cpusa through the rise and fall of browder, the party s general secretary in 193045. The collapse of the soviet union was a shock for communists in western europe.
Its demolition reveals the changes that led to the party s decline. A mysterious white dome and an undulating glass facade. It originated when a majority of members resigned from the socialist french section of the workers international sfio party to set up the french section of the communist international. French controversy flares over role of communist party in resistance. The french communist party and britain in the second world. Go to previous content download this content share this content add this content to favorites go to next content.
French housing project, once a symbol of the future, is. The iconic italian party abolished itself in 1989 despite being the original eurocommunist party with no r. Ehrmann, the decline of the socialist party, in barte ed. Both conservatives and socialists are struggling even to make the second round of the presidential election. The implications of this decision will be considerable. According to the accusation, denied vehemently by the party, the communist leaders wanted their comrades out of the way to make sure that, as liberation approached, the communist wing of the resistance would be controlled by.
Sudhir hazareesingh this work examines the emergence and subsequent demise of intellectual identification with the french communist party, arguing that after 1978, political conflicts between the communist leadership. A recounting of the stages of french communist resistance. In france, as in the rest of the advanced capitalist world, the womens. For nearly all of its seventy years, the pcf was dedicated to further the interests of the soviet communist party and the ussrs foreign policies. His stewardship spanned fdrs new deal, hitlers rise to power, the stalin era in the ussr, the hitlerstalin pact, world war ii, and the first days of the cold war. Organization and strategy in the decline of french communism george ross introduction the history of the parti communiste francais since the mid1960s is profoundly disturbing. The french resistance, for the french communist party, will be a peoples battle, on french soil. French communist party simple english wikipedia, the. Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the pcf retains a strong influence in. Intellectuals and the french communist party sudhir. The french communist party parti communiste francais, pcf experienced a most striking evolution in the period spanning the 1940s to the. French controversy flares over role of communist party in.
A recounting of the stages of french communist resistance during. Macridis, the immobility of the french communist party, the journal of politics, 20 april 1958. His first, intellectuals and the french communist party, published in 1991, outlines the decline of the french communist party pcf, beginning in the mid1970s. The decline of the long tradition of french intellectual identification with the pcf started in the 1980s. This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about the origins of the growing political marginalization of the french communist party pcf, particularly the decline in intellectual affiliation to the party. French communists ponder partys decline the new york times. According to hazareesingh, some of the reasons for the breakdown of the party include the increasing ineffectiveness of the party s organization, the difficulty of functioning within a. Georges marchaiss long tenure as the leader of the french communist party pcf witnessed a sharp decline in the party s electoral performance. It will suggest a link between the communist party s position in the popular front government of the mid. It will outline the position of the french communist party pcf in three different and distinctive periods. In this work, the author examines the emergence and demise of intellectual identification with the french communist party between 1945 to 1989. Examining the emergence and subsequent demise of intellectual identification with the french communist party between 1945 and 1989, this book argues that, after 1978, political conflicts between the communist leadership and party intellectuals led to an erosion of support. Many western european countries including italy, france, spain.
These conflicts were sharpened by the party s institutional decline during the 1980s. The rise and fall of american communism, by philip j. The promotion of eurocommunism seemed to coincide with the stagnation or decline of many european communist parties. The french communists and their italian comrades, studies in comparative communism, 8 1973. The bipolarized multiparty system of the gaullist 1960s. French communist party political party, france britannica. A considerable literature has explored the rise of the french communist party pcf, and a growing literature is examining its decline. The french communists and their italian comrades, studies in comparative communism, 8 1973, 184 95.
The french communist newspaper lhumanite appealed to readers on monday to save it from bankruptcy. If it didnt exert the same intellectual influence abroad as its italian counterpart, it still commanded the loyalty of millions of workers winning over 20 percent of the vote as late as 1978 and dictated many of the terms on which the more moderate french. Decline of the french communist party table 1 communist vote in legislative and other national elections percentage percentage % of poll % of electorate i v republic legislative 1945 26. Shortly after marchais took over, the pcf received more than 20 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections. Without it, all things considered, the liberation of paris by itself, as in the formulation of. The decline of the french communist party portsmouth research. Party decline and changing party systems france and the french communist party george ross france has produced numerous surprises in recent years, but few have been greater than the major change of its party system. The french communist party headquarters is probably the most unusual building in paris. Georges marchais and the decline of french communism. He argues that, after 1978 political conflicts between the party leadership and intellectuals led to an erosion of support, sharpened by wider ideological changes. The reasons for the decline of the french communist party since the 1980s and its enlightenment article january 2015 with 10 reads how we measure reads. The french communist party pcf has decided to drop the emblematic hammer and sickle from its. With the slow, gradual destruction of the soviet unions credibility in the west, the pcf tightly linked to the ussr reached a. Arguably the strongest communist party in the advanced capitalist world at the beginning of this period, the pcf has.