The Development of the Modern Political Parties of the Left

Abstract

The division of history into periods and eras is an important but, inevitably, somewhat arbitrary process. Depending on the foci of concern and the level of sophistication required an almost infinite variety of possibilities exists for any extended period of time. It seems reasonable, given that our concern here is limited to providing merely a general account of major developments, to divide our analysis into two broad periods: from the beginning of the Third Republic until 1920; from 1920 to the collapse of the Fourth Republic. This framework could, of course, be extended in many ways but it does allow us to mark the most important turning points. Although embryonic parties of the Left existed as far back as the post-1789 Revolutionary period, it was only in the early years of the Third Republic that they began to become established. Their evolution and formation until immediately after the First World War was thereafter gradual and steady. However the shock waves which emanated from the Russian Revolution had a cataclysmic effect and resulted, in 1920, in the rupture — between communists and socialists — that has plagued the Left ever since. Consequently, 1920 witnessed the beginning of a new era, an era that can be extended to the end of the Fourth Republic when constitutional and institutional changes helped to produce another transformational effect on the political parties of the Left.