Communism and Political Systems in Western Europe
Other Titles in This Series
Ideology and Politics: The Socialist Party of France, George A. Codding, Jr., and William Safran
The Spanish Political System: Franco's Legacy, E, Ramn Arango
Westview Special Studies in West European Politics and Society
Communism and Political Systems in Western Europe edited by David E. Albright
Developments of the 1970s suggest the need for a new approach to the analysis of communism in Western Europe. During the early years after World War II, Western observers tended to look upon the West European Communist parties as fundamentally an extension of communism in the USSRas national only in the narrow, formal sense. With the growing signs of disunity within the international communist movement during the late 1950s and early 1960s, however, a shift in perspectives took place. Most Western analysts sought to assess the extent to which the West European parties had asserted their independence of the Soviet party and the attendant degree of pluralism manifest in the European context. A widely accepted assumption was that a loosening of bonds between the West European parties and Moscow would probably mean the evolution of the former back toward left-wing democracy and their reabsorption into the prevailing West European order.
Whatever merit these approaches may have had in previous years, they are clearly inadequate today to yield a true picture of communism in Western Europe. This book provides fresh insights by focusing on the roles of the West European Communist parties in the specific political systems in which they operate. The introductory essay offers a broad overview of the West European situation; eight chapters deal with the most important individual parties; and the final chapter explores the interaction between the roles of the West European parties in their own political contexts and their relations within the international communist movement.
David E. Albright is senior text editor of the journal Problems of Communism. Dr. Albright was formerly research associate and editor of the Council on Foreign Relations' project on the United States and China in world affairs.
Communism and Political Systems in Western Europe
edited by David E. Albright
First published 1979 by Westview Press, Inc.
Published 2018 by Routledge
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Communism and political systems in Western Europe.
(Westview special studies in west European politics and society)
Bibliography: p.
1. CommunismEuropeAddresses, essays, lectures. 2. Communist parties
Addressesm essays, lectures. 3. EuropePolitics and government1945 .
Addresses, essays, lectures. I. Albright, David E.
HX239.Z7C631945 335.43'0941945 78-19054
ISBN 13: 978-0-367-01801-6 (hbk)
Contents
, David E. Albright
, Giacomo Sani
, William J. Davidshofer
, Eusebio M. Mujal-Len
, Eusebio M. Mujal-Len
, Dimitri Kitsikis
, John H. Hodgson
, Trond Gilberg
, David Lynn Price
, Kevin Devlin
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
The genesis of this volume was fairly simple. During the course of my work on the editorial staff of Problems of Communism in the 1970s, I became convinced of the need for a volume that would take a comprehensive look at the complex phenomenon of communism in Western Europe. As a result, I was highly receptive when Fred Praeger broached the idea of such a book to me in late 1976, and I immediately set about putting together a group of contributors.
The actual production of the volume, however, has proved a tortuous process. To some extent, this difficulty reflected the fact that little serious work had been done on a number of important parties. More critically, events since the conception of the book have not only underscored the need for such an undertaking but have also moved at a pace that makes up-to-date evaluations difficult. I would be remiss if I did not pay tribute to the way in which the contributors have performed in the face of these problemsand their demanding and relentless editor.
Several of the chapters draw upon material published earlier in Problems of Communism. These include the ones on Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, and interparty relations. All, however, are revised and updated contributions prepared expressly for this volume.
Aside from those whose work appears in the succeeding pages, a number of other persons rendered valuable service to the project. As I have already noted, Fred Praeger stimulated me to launch the venture, and he has shown infinite patience in awaiting the ultimate product. Ronald Tiersky, Erik Willenz, Pio Uliassi, Joan Barth Urban, Robert Putnam, and Joergen Rasmussen shared their thoughts with me on a variety of issues. In a more general sense, Alexander Dallin, with whom I studied during the years I was pursuing my doctorate at Columbia University, has helped to shape my perceptions of the international communist movement. Kimberly Johnson-Smith found time in her crowded schedule to retype many of the chapters after the completion of the editing, and James Smith, her husband, bore my impositions on them with unfailing good humor and understanding during the period when the volume was coming to fruition.
David E. Albright
David E. Albright is senior text editor of the journal Problems of Communism. He has contributed articles on Soviet and Chinese politics and foreign policies as well as on the international communist movement to a number of journals and symposia. In addition, he has edited a forthcoming volume on Communism in Africa, and he is author of another forthcoming book entitled The Dilemmas of Courtship: The Soviet Union, China, and Ghana.
William J. Davidshofer is associate professor of political science at the University of Maine, Presque Isle. He has specialized on French politics and especially on the French Communist Party. Moreover, he did doctoral research at the Foundation Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Paris.
Kevin Devlin is a political analyst for Radio Free Europe in Munich. He has published extensively on Europe's Communist parties, and he is now involved in a collective research project to produce a volume entitled Imperium und Ideologie.
Trond Gilberg is professor of political science at Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Born in Norway, he has specialized on politics in both Western and Eastern Europe, particularly the Nordic countries and Romania. His publications on the Nordic countries include The Soviet Communist Party and Scandinavian Communism: The Norwegian Case.
