Grand Disillusion: Francois Mitterrand and the French Left

This work traces the life of Francois Mitterand from his youth as an ardent Catholic and supporter of the Marshal Petain, to his career as a centrist politician of the Fourth Republic, through his capture of the leadership of the Socialist Party, leading to his election as President of France in 1981. During these years the Communist Party of France, influenced by such militants as the poet Louis Aragon, was evolving into a national party eager to participate in a joint effort with the Socialist Party to begin a rupture with capitalism through the election of Mitterand as president. The reform of the Communist Party and the rise of Mitterand led to the Union of the Left. In 1981, the Socialist Party had an absolute majority in the French parliament plus support from the Communist deputies. President Mitterand could have implemented his leftist electoral promises and given Western Europe a historical lesson in how to move toward socialism in an advanced industrial country. Instead, he chose to change his programme to the development of capitalism on a European scale. The reasons for this turn-around emerge from an examination of his life and career.