PARTISAN REVIEW
sent fix. A good party member will of course, be able to explain away a
dozen of Himalayas. Sympathizers, however, are less well trained, and
less ready to look like indoctrinated dunces. You can put a French
CP sympathizer to a crucial test by asking him two questions: 1) Do
you think that the CP policy is a policy
for
peace? 2) Do you see any
other outcome of present CP domestic policies than a strong reaction?
After a greater or lesser amount of shuffling, and sometimes right away,
the answer will be "no" on both counts. As of today, the French Com–
munists expect some favorable development from three directions. First,
in October, when the elections for the Council of the Republic (the
almost purely nominal legislative body which has taken the place of
the old Senate) will be held, the RPF, which run nearly 40% of the
municipalities, while having no representatives in the National Assembly,
are sure to win a considerable victory. At that moment, the Communists
hope to be able to take the lead of a movement for the "defense of the
Republic." Secondly, thanks to the blithe ineffectiveness of the Govern–
ment, the social question, which today simply means the question of the
relation between prices and wages, remains as bitter as ever. Thirdly,
the Communists think (and their view is supported by a number of
experts) that the Marshall Plan will have no visible effects on French
economy. To these three reasons for optimism, the Communists add a
fourth one, which is the noticeable comeback of "clericalism" into French
life, especially in the school system. Here too, the CP, helped by the fact
that the Socialists are the allies of the Catholics in the Government,
might well try to organize the exploitation of traditional French anti–
clericalism, which remains a strong social factor.
These calculations are certainly not unfounded. It is, however, hard
to conceive how, even under the most favorable (i.e., the worst) political
circumstances, the Stalinists could go beyond the stage of demagogic
agitation, as long as they are obliged to adopt Stalin's contraceptive
measures, which they certainly will be as long as there is no war. The
ar:nazing thing is that CP tactics still seem to be based on the notion
that the proletariat must
almost
make the Revolution in order to allow
Messrs. Duclos and Thorez to get back into the government. And this is
the most resplendent victory that can be promised to the suffering French
masses today by the party of Marx-Lenin-Stalin. Even if such a triumph
were possible, it is hard to see how the aforesaid gentlemen could re–
peat for the second time the performance which consists in exploiting
ministerial advantages while making the other fellow responsible for
all mismanagement and unpopular measures.
The most revealing symptom of Stalinist weakness seems to me
1012
