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The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe has left Western European communist parties struggling to establish a new, viable identity. A major problem for these parties, however, is that most of the countries they operate in already have political parties that platform on socialist reform and appeal to protest votes. Communist Party strategies in France and Italy are described.

For Western political democracy to be a viable model for other states around the world it must entail economic democracy also. Democracy in the workplace is essential for overcoming economic alienation by providing for the meaningful participation of citizens in society. The failure of top-down economic democratization in communist countries, however, shifts emphasis toward the French model where a grass-roots approach of 'citizenship' rights for employees was tried in the 1980s. Although the institutional framework for this model proved impractical, the attempt introduced concepts which could contribute to social democratic institutions in the future.

Abstract Although economic problems and political developments in the late 1970s and early 1980s had already started to sap its political import and erode its electoral support, since the fall [...]

The Power of Politics: New Social Movements in France. By Jan Willem Duyvendak. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995. 251p. $60.00. A wave of new social movements based on environmental anti-nuclear, [...]

The article explores the reasons behind the sharp decline in the political standing of the Socialist government in France. In the 1981 elections, the French Socialist Party gain control of a powerful presidency and a solid majority capable of overwhelming any opposition in the National Assembly or from the conservative Senate. Their rise to political power was met with high expectations from the people. The primary explanation behind the sharp decline behind President Francois Mitterrand's government is its policies.