| In 1920, a majority of the Section Francaise Internationale Ouvriere (SFIO) broke off from the party at the Congress of Tours and formed the Section Francaise Internationale Communiste (SFIC), or the French Communist Party. Although the Socialists denied it, the two parties represented the revolutionary and reformist branches of socialism. The minority, in general, remained faithful to the practices and traditions of French socialism, while the latter, within a few years, was dominated and directed by the Communist International in Moscow. Although formal, institutional Bolshevization was not achieved until 1926-27, the French Communists had very little autonomy left by mid-1924.; This study covers the three and a half years between the schism and the Bolshevization of the Communist Party. During this period, the two parties became implacably hostile towards each other. The thesis is that the fundamental nature of the relationship and the attitudes of each party toward the other which have existed ever since were formed in the 1921-24 period. The doctrinal and political positions these two parties took vis-a-vis each other have not changed much since the early 1920s. This split had major consequences for French politics, in that it created a permanent weakness within the Left.; This study focuses on two aspects of the relationship. First, the ideological and doctrinal debates are explored. A number of events during these years--for example, Lenin's New Economic Policy, the Bolshevik suppression of Georgian independence and trial of the Russian Social-Revolutionaries, the 'stillborn' revolution in Germany, and the coming to power of Ramsay MacDonald's Labour government in Britain--caused the two parties to define their doctrines on the most important issues between revolutionary and reformist socialists, such as national defense, revolutionary timing, and the Bolshevik regime itself. Second, the political and personal relationship is studied. The two parties defined their positions in response to a number of events and factors, such as Comintern influence on the French Communists, rightwing extremism in France, and the legislative elections of May 1924. Several aspects of the relationship are examined: the effect of the split on each party, the political choices the schism caused them to make, their reciprocal behavior during electoral campaigns, and their competition for the support of the French labor movement. |
