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| Ligue communiste révolutionnaire | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ligue communiste révolutionnaire |
| Native name | Ligue communiste révolutionnaire |
| Country | France |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Dissolved | 2009 |
| Predecessor | Parti communiste internationaliste |
| Successor | Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste |
| Ideology | Trotskyism |
| Position | Far-left |
| International | Fourth International (post-reunification) |
| Headquarters | Paris |
Ligue communiste révolutionnaire was a French Trotskyist political organization active from 1969 to 2009. It emerged from post-1968 realignments among French revolutionary socialists and participated in trade union, student, and antiwar mobilizations, influencing debates on left unity and anti-capitalist strategy. The organization engaged in electoral politics, produced press organs, and maintained ties with international Trotskyist currents, shaping activists who later joined new formations in the 21st century.
The group formed from activists who had belonged to the Parti communiste internationaliste and who regrouped after splits involving figures associated with the Fourth International and the aftermath of the May 1968 events. Early histories intertwine with the trajectories of militants from the Confédération générale du travail (CGT), the Confédération française démocratique du travail (CFDT), and student militants linked to the Union nationale des étudiants de France (UNEF). Through the 1970s the organization confronted the rise of the Parti socialiste and engaged in debates with the Parti communiste français and the Mouvement des jeunes communistes de France. In the 1980s it confronted the policies of the François Mitterrand administration and the effects of neoliberalism on French politics, while worldwide upheavals—such as the Soviet–Afghan War and the crises of the Soviet Union—shaped its international orientation. The 1990s and 2000s saw debates over the European Union, globalization protests connected to the World Trade Organization, and cooperation with anti-globalization networks like those around the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. In 2009 key members helped establish the Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste, marking formal dissolution.
Rooted in classic Trotskyism, the organization placed emphasis on permanent revolution, workers' self-emancipation, and opposition to Stalinism as represented by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Programmatic positions were elaborated in dialogue with texts by Leon Trotsky, critiques of Vladimir Lenin's periodization, and responses to debates around Eurocommunism. Its platform addressed neoliberal policies represented by figures like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, while endorsing proposals influenced by debates within the Fourth International and by experiences from movements such as those around Solidarity. The group advocated for rank-and-file organization in unions like the CGT and for linking workplace struggles to municipal initiatives seen in experiments in cities influenced by activists from the Front de Gauche. Internationally it supported self-determination struggles involving organizations such as the African National Congress and movements in Latin America.
Structurally the organization combined centralized political committees with local sections active in cities such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse. National congresses determined strategy and publications; influential leaders and theorists included veterans from the Parti communiste internationaliste and prominent militants who had been active in unions like the Confédération française démocratique du travail (CFDT) and student bodies such as UNEF. The group maintained a national newspaper and internal review that debated positions vis-à-vis currents in the Fourth International and other Trotskyist organizations including Militant tendency-aligned groups in the United Kingdom and factions within the Socialist Workers Party. Leadership transitions often reflected factional realignments and responses to international events such as the collapse of the Eastern Bloc.
Members engaged in factory occupations, strikes, and union organization within workplaces tied to companies like Renault and Peugeot, and in public sector mobilizations involving the RATP and SNCF. Student activism linked to unrest on campuses and to solidarity campaigns with international struggles, including support for the anti-Apartheid Movement and opposition to interventions like the 2003 Iraq War. The organization ran campaigns on housing, anti-racism in conjunction with groups such as SOS Racisme critics, and environmental protests overlapping with networks later prominent in the Attac movement. It participated in street demonstrations, organized educational forums, and produced pamphlets and periodicals used in trade union and campus cells.
Electoral work ranged from local candidacies in municipal councils to national campaigns in legislative and presidential contests, often with modest vote shares but leveraging elections for agitation and recruitment. The organization entered tactical alliances with formations such as the Lutte Ouvrière and later cooperated in broader coalitions with the Front de Gauche and other anti-capitalist currents. In some municipal contests it supported joint slates combining environmentalists from Les Verts and radical left activists, while resisting integration into the Parti socialiste's electoral frameworks. International comparisons included relations with the Parti Socialiste networks and exchanges with IU activists.
Throughout its existence internal debates produced visible splits over questions of entryism, the stance toward the European Union and the nature of party-building. Controversies erupted over relations with trade union leaders in the CGT and tactical positions during crises such as the 1981–1983 austerity measures in France. Some militants departed to join groups like Lutte Ouvrière or to found independent tendencies that later fed into the Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste. Disputes over positions on international conflicts, including orientations toward the Yugoslav Wars and interventions in Afghanistan, generated public disagreements and resignations.
The organization left a mark on successive generations of activists who entered the Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste and other radical formations, contributing cadres to unions such as the Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques (SUD) and to networks around anti-globalization and ecological politics. Its literature influenced debates within the Fourth International and among critics of both social democracy and traditional Communist parties, and its emphasis on workplace organizing informed campaigns in sectors overseen by the SNCF and RATP. Former members have been active in municipal projects, intellectual debates tied to journals and universities, and in forming alliances that reshaped the far-left landscape in France during the early 21st century.
Category:Trotskyist organizations in France Category:Political parties established in 1969 Category:Political parties disestablished in 2009