ABSTRACT
In France, relations between Socialists and Communists were more complex than in Britain, and they developed along different lines. The traditional anti-clericalism of the Socialist party had its origins in the struggle for democracy as it had developed in France ever since the Revolution of 1789. A new government then had to be formed, and the Communist party proposed a Socialist-Communist coalition under its leadership. For the success of Tripartism, the Socialists had had to presuppose that there would be no lack of loyalty from the Communists, with whom they had established particularly close relations. The party was, moreover, committed to joint action with the Communists in the struggle for a new social order and in the fight against domestic reaction. The Confederation Generale du Travail demanded a rise of 25 per cent, and entrusted leadership of the strike movement to a national strike committee led by Communist trade union leaders.
