The left in France Flashcards
what was the general consensus among the electorate leading up to the 81 elections?
people believed that they would have a better future under Mitterrand and the socialists
Giscard’s unfavourable economic system
ender of the trente glorieuses and the the first oil shock all left him with problems to tackle
How did Giscard change his political direction from the start of his term to the end
he was reformist at the start but moved towards a more conservative stance, thus was far less consistent than the attitude of his predecessors
Giscard claimed what about his image after the loss in 81
he could not open a french newspaper for years after his loss for fear of reading something damaging
He had in fairness lost a lot of support due to several scandals involving his entourage and the press took advantage of this
Positives of Giscard’s term
he did manage to bring the legal reforms up to date with those of Europe- introduced equal rights to women and divorce was facilitated, abortion too.
Who founded the European Monetary system
Giscard
Why did Mitt’s ascendancy worry the PCF?
they feared further unbalances
how did Mitt become a more rounded President?
He brushed over areas like the Projet socialiste
Criticised Giscard for ruining the Grandeur of France with his weak policy
He prompted that should he win the communists would not be allowed to extend their influence too much
What mistakes did Marchais make that left the PCF more Isolated
he did not attempt to widen the support base of the PCF
he also claimed that the PCF was only committed to far left fundamental change- inability to compromise
What did the PCF accuse the PS of attempting to do?
planning to continue the policies of their predecessors a
How did the far left parties improve Mitterand’s chances
the opportunity they got to promote themselves ie the MRG only concentrated the vote on Mitterand who they said they would support in the 2nd round
Results of the 81 elections
only resulted in a swing of 52%, large enough to take the victory
What advantage did the views of the left have that the right didn’t?
They were more unified
lots of those who had voted for Chirac in the first round subsequently did not vote or went to vote for Mitterrand
Some of the traditional views of the left
Pacifism
anti-colonialism
anti-clericalism
liberty- PCF believed in true liberty, not Bourgeois liberty
In the early 60s how did Mollet envisage the future of the socialist Party
He saw the 2 ballot system as a way of promoting the Socialist Party
He however was a strict socialist and argued with Defferre on whether to move themselves to a more central approach (Mollet was against this and ultimately succeeded)
FGDS formed when?
in 67+68 in the Parliamentary elections
Most influential movement to come out of the club system
was the CIR- it gave way to Mitterrand who used it to show is potential political value to the PS
After the failure of the FGDS
they said that Mollet should step down as a narrower approach was needed, the PS was created and Savary named first sec
Who did Mitterrand have to convince that his socialist credentials were sound enough
Mauroy-Defferre delegations and the former adversaries CERES- ultimately he was successful but partly only down to the desire ti change away from Mollet
What did Mitterrand as leader of the Party that contributed to a Socialist victory?
He doubled party membership between 1971 and 78
he had a key role in shaping the party
So within the Party he was able to formalise a Majority and a Minority
Who did he outmanoeuvre and how to become the 81 presidential candidate?
Rocard- who found it difficult to beet the support base of Mitterrand despite having his Rocardiens
He was beaten by Mitt forming an alliance with the CERES
during the late 80s and the 90s what were the political similarities of the left and right?
low inflation
low budgets
all allowed unemployment to rise
this period experienced record low levels of public dissatisfaction
What did Mitterrand do to marginalise the Rocardiens?
he aske CERES to write a very left-wing programme for the PS
What was the largest Faction in épinay in 1971?
the SFIO
Who were the leaders of the SFIO in Épinay?
Mauroy and Mollet
Who was the leader of CERES?
Chèvenement- this was the pro communist wing of the Party
What was the dominant faction under Mitterrand?
Mitterrandiens thanks to his work with the CIR
What did Rocard contribute to the PS in 74?
He added former PSU members
What was stopping the PCF and the PS in 1958?
Electoral isolation which saw them lose dramatic amounts of seats - PCF went to 10 seats, the SFIO went to 44
What was Mitterrand’s appeal over Rocard in the build up to 1981?
he could appeal to more centrist voters
Describe the divisions of the left in 1969
following the upheavals of 1968 the left was left in disarray- Defferre running for the SFIO, Duclos from the PCF and Rocard from the PSU- created such a division that there were two non left candidates running in the second round
What was the political influence during the fourth and third republic for the PCF ?
was the only principal party to not spend a considerable amount of time in office
What changed at the start of the 5th republic in relation to the consolidation of Power?
The Presidency became more of a prized possession and gained a wide respect as an office of the people therefore the more extremist parties needed to gain a wider expanding base of recognition before making a stake at Presidency
The rise of the right provided a reasonable reason for the failure of the left early on- how?
Through Gaullism there was a stable majority that had proved itself in referendums and the UNR was the first party to gain over 30 % of the vote
Name a factor that deprived the centrists and left of support
the rise in industrialisation can be held accountable for the loss of natural supporters as urbanisation took place
What was the result for the Left of F. Mitterrand’s 1965 bid?
it only gained around 30%- the result being that the coalition alone was not enough to ensure a majority to social policy would have to be altered in order to appeal to the masses
What has undermined the stale-mate society in which France found itself after the War?
Rapid population rises and urbanisation - no longer an appeal to the little man with which many had identified pre 1958
How was the electoral body mirroring much of the political changes of the US?
to some extent the society was moving to an more consensual society - although divisions still remain sharp there has been a gradual increase in understanding that there is a need for shared assumptions
Withering of the centre left pre Mitt
MRP and Independents suffered from the fading of the clerical issue + the appeal of Gaullism attracted many of these men
Reasons for unsuccessful moves towards unity
Inability of the PCF to decide on which way to move
Underlying antagonisms in the left towards the PCF over its sovier Past- Soviet ties had been kept quite close under Thorez
Rocardiens wanted
social democracy with autogestion
CERES wanted
a form of revolutionary socialism
Mitterrand wanted
reform but not a break with capitalism
