A comparative analysis of the communist parties of France and Italy in the twentieth century

Abstract

For my dissertation, ‘A Comparative Analysis of the Communist Parties of France and Italy in the Twentieth Century’, the aim of this study is to follow the history of the Communist Parties of France and Italy throughout the 20th century. Through these finding a comparative analysis of the parties would be conducted by examining various aspects, including their political development, economic policies, social policies, and international position. The analysis shall be divided into 5 sections each encompassing around 20 years of their history, from 1900 to 1920, 1921 to 1939, 1940 to 1960, 1961 to 1980, and 1981 to 2000. The reason for this stemmed from the fact that within each two decades the communist parties of France and Italy would see a major shift for themselves and within their respective nations. The first chapter looks at the early development of the parties prior to their turn to Communism as their origins. The second chapter looks at the party’s initial acts from their conception and the repression they faced during the interwar period. The third chapter looks at the parties during and after WW2, and the treatment they faced with the start of the Cold War. The fourth chapter looks at their shifting policy towards Eurocommunism and the beginning of their decline. Finally, the fifth chapter would see the fall of the Soviet Union, end of the Cold War, and the loss of power of the communist parties of France and Italy, as they see their end as major parties. By the end of each chapter a comparison of the two sides would be done to showcase the differences and similarities the two parties shared during the different period. As such within these chapters, an analysis on some of the most notable events the two countries went through and the involvement of their respective communist parties. From delving into the early development of both parties by examining how they emerged from socialist movements in their respective countries, creating an understanding of their ideological foundations and early strategies on how they positioned themselves within the broader labour and leftist movements in France and Italy. The changing policies of the parties as they evolved over time to their national contexts, as they kept their ties to Moscow and severed them over the years to focus on policies of Eurocommunism. As well as the transformation and decline of the parties and movements up to the end of the 20th century during times of harsh opposition, shifting political landscapes, positive victories, and the decline and fall of the Soviet Union. As I analyse the two parties, the aim is to understand through their histories and their connections to one another within each period, how they compare their alongside one another. As for the methodology used for this text, it will include some primary and secondary sources such as party manifestos, speeches, election results, historical analyses writings, political science studies, and scholarly writings on European communism. All of which will hopefully shed light on the history of the communist parties in France and Italy. However, the information has its limitation. For instance, sensitive government information would not be easily acquired despite it being a primary source providing firsthand information to laws and events that shaped the communist movements and parties of France and Italy. Bias is another issue, as most information such as political speeches, party documents, and newspaper reports may reflect ideological biases, since some of the texts may look at the events from the stance of the communists, while other texts may view the events from a western view against communism. Ultimately the main aim of the text is meant to inform those interested on the topics of French and Italian communism, Western Communist Parties, politics during the 20th century, and the evolution of Communism in Europe.