Socialism, Independence, and Class Struggle: The WFTU in West Africa and the Role of the CGIL (1958–1968)
Journal: International Review of Social History
Year: 2026

Abstract Since the 1920s, the workers’ movement has been crucial in linking international communism with colonial liberation. From the 1950s, communist trade unions and the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) played a key role in this process. The WFTU forged ties with Afro-Asian unions to challenge Western powers with an anti-imperialist platform. Decolonization opened new opportunities for European workers in their anti-capitalist struggle, prompting unions such as the French Confédération