Communist Parties

VII

Italy

The Italian Communist Party was established in 1921 by a radical group of the Italian Socialist Party. It was outlawed by the Fascist regime but reappeared as a major force in Italian politics in 1944. At the local level the party has held power in many municipalities since the late 1940s. It has shared control with the Italian Socialist Party of all major urban centres in the country since the mid-1970s and has played a significant national role as part of a governmental majority, but has held no Cabinet posts.

The Italian party was organized in a manner similar to the CPSU with slight variations for specific needs. The basic party organization is the section, several of which form a federation. The federations, each usually coinciding with the area of an Italian province, are grouped into regional committees. The total membership of the Italian Communist Party was about 1.5 million in the mid-1980s. Of these, 40 per cent were labourers. The party has a smaller following among women than among men, and has declined in popularity among younger Italians. The party engages in extensive publication activities. The official newspaper, L'Unita, had a daily circulation of 300,000 up until the 1990s.

In the 1970s and early 1980s the Italian Communist Party was closely identified with so-called Eurocommunism and was the principal opponent of those policies of the CPSU considered repressive of human rights. These positions, however, did little to secure greater support from the Italian middle class and peasantry, who remained sceptical of the feasibility of Eurocommunism and of disengagement from the CPSU. They also held little attraction for some radical left-wing factions, which turned to terrorism instead. Responding to the upheavals in Eastern Europe and the USSR, the Italian Communist Party sought to redefine its programme for the 1990s. It took a new name, the Democratic Party of the Left, and emphasized social democracy, women's rights, and environmental issues. In 1991 opponents of the dissolution of the old party established the Party of Communist Re-foundation, which by 2002 had a membership of about 90,000.

VIII

Other Western European Parties

The Communist parties of Western Europe were all established between 1918 and 1923, following the Russian Revolution. Their history has varied with the fortunes of international relations, and they enjoy varying degrees of political power in their respective countries. Among the smallest and least significant parties are those of Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, all of which generally supported the CPSU. The parties in Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and Great Britain are also weak but have enjoyed, at one time or another, representation in their respective parliaments and have participated in governance at both the central and local levels. The strongest Western European parties, other than the French and the Italian, are those of Greece, Finland, Portugal, and Spain. At their peak, the Finnish and Portuguese parties captured about 20 per cent of the total vote in national elections, and the Spanish, approximately 15 per cent. Generally the Finnish party was neutral towards the CPSU, and the Greek and Portuguese parties supportive; the Spanish party is Eurocommunist.

IX

The United States

The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is descended from the Communist Labor Party and the Communist Party, both founded in 1919. It has been known as the Workers' Party and the Communist Political Association. The CPUSA has no representation in Congress or in any state legislature.

The membership of the CPUSA is estimated at approximately 20,000 and is concentrated in a few industrial states. Its membership is believed to be largely middle-aged or older. Whether these figures are indicative of the composition of the party as a whole is uncertain, because no such data are available. The CPUSA is structured on the CPSU prototype. It has no formally affiliated organizations, but the Young Communist League of the USA (formerly the Young Workers' Liberation League), with a membership of some 3,000, serves as its youth arm.

The CPUSA was one of the most consistently pro-Soviet parties, and, as such, echoed all the USSR's positions on foreign policy and internal US affairs. Its rigidity, both doctrinal and political, has frequently been challenged by rival Marxist political organizations, of which the most important is the Socialist Workers' Party, with an alleged membership of some 2,500. Smaller Maoist sects, such as the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) and the Revolutionary Communist Party, have also opposed the pro-CPSU positions but have attracted only a minimal number of adherents.

X

Other Parties in the Western Hemisphere

Communist parties in the western hemisphere, except for those of Cuba and Nicaragua, are generally small and sometimes illegal. Their significance, particularly in Central and South America, stems from their support of leftist coalitions and, on occasion, of guerrilla activities. The Communist parties of Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico have been among the most active in these respects. Latin American parties have usually supported both the CPSU and the Cuban Communist Party, from which they have received financial assistance.

The Cuban Party is the only ruling Communist party in the western hemisphere. It was organized strictly along the lines of the CPSU, was dependent on the Soviet Union for financial support, and during the 1970s and 1980s acted in fulfilment of CPSU policies by providing military assistance to “national liberation movements” abroad.