ABSTRACT
Under various names, the French Socialists have played a critical role in French political life for almost a century, beginning in the turbulent era of the 1890s. In 1920 the party was torn asunder when a majority of its members opted to join the Communist International. Having succeeded in making alliances, not always permanent, with the Communists on the left and with the elements of the center of the political spectrum, they have made several significant attempts to capture political power. Because of the focal position of the Socialists among French political parties, the study should also furnish the reader with an insight into the major developments in French political life over the past several decades. Finally, it might also supply some clues to the tendency of socialist parties all over Europe to merge into larger units or to water down their ideology, attracting large numbers of voters but losing their traditional identity in the process.
