ABSTRACT
The 1960s were a decade of optimism for those hoping for stable liberal democratic regimes in Western Europe. After the uncertainties of reconstruction and the confrontation of the Cold War, it seemed that economic, social, and political change had made possible the liberal ideal of societies which were both pluralist democracies and socially just. Communist parties, including those in France and Italy, were not considered immune to this process of change. Looking at the behavior of the French and Italian communist parties in recent years, one is immediately impressed with the general similarities. The preeminent international factor bearing on the strategic options available to the French and Italian parties throughout the postwar period has been the division of Europe into spheres of American and Soviet influence. Communist strategy is constrained not only by the threat of direct American intervention; international economic relationships are of considerable importance as well.
