[Red_Army]

I have recently read about the 1968 French popular revolution and how it was crushed by the Communist Party of France and the government of de Gaulle. This revolution was supported by most of the country and not limited to any specific people. To think that the communist party conspired with the capitalist government to crush a revolution disgusts me. This was one of the few places where anarchists played a big role! Does anyone else feel this way?

[redcarpet]

Yes, it's pathetic. Unfortunately, some trade unions are like that. They're lead by right-wing leaders. The thugs!

[Red_Army]

How can they call themselves communists while supporting a colonialist government supress the people? Lying dogs!

[Batko]

Your book is accurate.

How can they call themselves communists while supporting a colonialist government supress the people?

It's "revolutionary strategy".

PS :I agree with you on 68 and you can put down the gaullists all you want, as I do myself. Though labelling them as "colonialists" in 1968 is a bit harsh, as they abandonned colonialism in 1961.
Anyway, it's only a detail, what you say is still right.

[Red_Army]

I don't think that France has abandoned colonialism, they sent more troops to the Ivory Coast recently which is one of their "former" colonies. de Gualle tried to crush the Vietnamese liberationists, I think he is a colonialist.

[Batko]

I don't think that France has abandoned colonialism, they sent more troops to the Ivory Coast recently which is one of their "former" colonies.

The French troops are there to enforce a UN resolution. If there was any African nation willing (or rather able) to pay for the presence of African troops to replace the French ones, we would be happy to let them the burden. That's nothing to do with colonialism. You can call it "Imperialism", If it's your opinion, I would have nothing against it, but to call that "colonialism" is simply nonsense.

de Gualle tried to crush the Vietnamese liberationists

It was before 1961.

[Red_Army]

It was before 1961.

I know that it was before 1961, my point is that HE was a colonialist.

And what about all the nuclear missle testing in the carribean? Kicking people off of their island to test nukes is colonialist bullshit.

[Batko]

I know that it was before 1961, my point is that HE was a colonialist.

Right, though my point is that he (was forced to) abandon colonialism in 61.

There were never any French nukes tested in the carribean.
If you want to talk about Polynesia, it's Imperialism, ok, not colonialism.

[Red_Army]

Ok imperialism if thats what you want to call it.

[AsdkAsd]

To think that the communist party conspired with the capitalist government to crush a revolution disgusts me

.

absolutely, but why did they do so? was it because as Redcarpet said...

They're lead by right-wing leaders. The thugs!

maybe, but the majority of trade union leaders generally believed they were acting in people's best interests and considered themselves to be great socialists. The point is, when you have such organisations in bed with the institutions of the status quo, when leaders have considerable power and status and their position and politics is against the people acting for themselves, you're going to find them fighting against libertarian or people-based movements.

[Adrien]

It's pretty simple, the PCF was in this year of 1968 at an hinge between its stalinian period and the reformist period some of its leaders (Rochet, Marchais) tried to start (in vain). You can see such duplicity in the fact that on one hand the PCF did not support May 68 at its beginning (describing it as a trotskyst revolt) when on the other hand the General-Secretary of the Party (Waldeck Rochet) went personnally to Moscow to try to prevent the crushing of Prague Spring.

One has to keep in mind that at that time Brejnev is in place in Moscow, that the Communist Parties are not ideological platforms defending a program for their countries but actors of the Cold War manipulated by Moscow (often with violent threats, ie death threats), and that the PCF compared to other European parties was retarded as far as reformism is concerned.

However, and I insist on that, the PCF did not "crush" the events of May 1968! It surely didn't help them by not giving them its support from the beginning, but in the end it did join them both in the streets and in the political fight.

It's simplistic to put the PCF in the side of the oppressors; if something crushed May 1968 it's the Right and the power, the only thing the PCF is guilty of is its rigidity and incompetence with regards to the management of the post-May 1968 political fight.

[Red_Army]

I read on Wikipedia that they supported de Gualle but I'm not sure. Adrien, your take on things is likely, Moscow was very intrusive into other commie parties.

[Subversive Rob]

There are some previous threads about it.