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The Birth of Socialist Municipality in France: From the Debate on Municipal Socialism to Municipal Program of SFIO

  • Korean Review of French History
  • Abbr : KRFH
  • 2013, (28), pp.185~209
  • Publisher : KOREAN SOCIETY FOR FRENCH HISTORY
  • Research Area : Humanities > History

Min, You-ki 1

1광운대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Socialist municipality played an important role in the development of French socialism in the 20th century. However, it does not mean that the French socialists attached great importance to a municipality from the initial stage of their party activities. In the 1880’s, reformist socialists placed emphasis on public services of municipality, but revolutionary socialists condemned it as an act of compromising with bourgeois democracy. When, how, and on what grounds did the revolutionary socialist fraction begin to engage in and emphasize the activities promoted by municipality? Along with raising such an issue, this paper aims to provide an analysis of how the French socialist municipality came into existence in the late years of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In 1880’s, the reformist socialists led by Paul Brousse stressed the need for expanding public services through municipality rather than waiting for a revolution that might be likely to take place in the distant future. The revolutionary socialists represented by Jules Guesde opposed such a move, but from 1891, they began to recognize the idea of reform as a preparation for revolution, and participate actively in municipal elections. The socialists led by Edouard Vaillant organized the Federation of Socialists Municipal Councilors in 1892 and began to share experiences in socialist municipality. The municipal program of the French Section of the Workers’ International(SFIO), founded in 1905, expanded socialist municipality. In this way, the French socialists’ activities in municipality contributed to the development of socialism and democracy.

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