Evening star., 1945-06-03

the physical aspects of a country wer'
more provocative than the political t.
the popular Imagination.
Today, in the spiritual revolution tina
Is taking place on most of the CONT
nent, as an aftermath of defeat, enemy
occupation, liberation and the begin
nings of resurgence, the mind of Eu'
rope is changing, and that of France
especially will be of essential influence
in shaping the world that is emerging
from the new peace.
What is this mind? How is it ex.
pressing itself? Is it fixed, or is it in
f1ux?
In France, all political parties are
now composed, to some extent at least
from the resistance or underground
Thus far, and with the exception OF
the Communist party which has car
ried the large industrial centers, the
most prominent is the "Mouvement Re-
publicain Populaire," or Popular Re-
publican Movement, young party born
from the resistance but having its in
ception in Christian democratic tradl-
ton.
Follows De GauIlist Lead.
Enbodying the De GaullIst doctrines,
it is active in some parts of France but
almost unknown in others. The Cath
olic intellectuals support it because 1t
advocates religious instruction. How
ever the fefs of Catholic conservatism
are against it as numbering too many
young Turks of Christian Democrats"
and as being opposed to financial die
tatorship" in all its forms.
In the sphere of practical politics, the
movement would like to unite all Demo-
Gratis and Socialists, religious and ra-
tionalist alike, and pursue policy SINH
lar to that of the charter of the Ma
tional Resistance Council which is very
Leftist in inspiration. Generally con-
sidered center party, it is said that
some of the relative popularity of this
new group in the recent Paris elec-
tions is due to the belief of many of the
voters that it is more closely allied to
the resistance proper than it is, and
while it thus drew certain votes from
the Left, it also took many from the
Right for the reason that 1t is more
moderate than most of the other parties
and more dynamic than the outmoded
Conservative one.
Notwithstanding the fact that in the
Paris balloting it lost to the Commu-
nists with only 179,867 votes to their
BAT 251, the Communists continue to at
tack 1t as containing those reactionary,
cl4ical and conservative elements that,
unaer the heading of "fascisrn,' they
hope to extirpate from French life.
Seek Republican Coalition.
Another party, but one which has not
much success in the initial elections and
will probably be far behind in the final,
is the alliance Democratique" which
hoped to bring about fulhllment of its
name through the coalition of all of the
republican forces in France in cadre
of Individual liberty. Left-center, 1t
stresses the ultimate need for mini
mum of government control after the
reconstruction of the country has been
accomplished; for freedom of thought,
speech, worship and the press; for pro-
lection of private property rights, and
for strong army. However, in the
Paris area, the aggregate votes of this
and other moderate parties together to-
tailed only 1922 more than those of the
Popular Republican Movement, but 151,-
l52 less than those of the Communists.
On the advanced left wing, the So
cialist party, officially known as the
Section Francaise de International
Ouvriere," has reinforced it's position in
many of the principal towns and gained
adherents in others, hitherto conserva-
tive. This is chiefly because it has pur-
sued a propaganda policy almost as
drastic as that of the Communists,
thereby satisfying the aspirations of a
part of the electorate who, while de-
manding vigorous changes in the old
order, cannot bring themselves to en-
brace all of the tenets of communism
The three points upon which the So
clalist party is most insistent are: /. Ma
tionalization of credit and industry, and
dissolution of trusts, within the larger
framework of structural reforms. 2. Ac-
celeration and accentuation of the
purge" or trials of collaborationists 8.
Confiscation of the property of traitors,
yond these specific aims, it wants to rep
resent the resistance as whole, and to
form workers bloc comprising the new
democracy in France. According to a
recent decision, the Socialist and Com
munist parties will merge for the final
electoral battle, their avowed purpose
being "to crush fascism and reaction"
Communist Group Disciplined.
The best-organized, best-disciplined,
7nd-in Paris, as in all of the industrial
cities-the most powerful political group
is the Communist party. 1t is also the
richest, for not only has it very large
stocks ot. paper but, according to high
ly-placed government source, treasure
of about one and a third billions of
francs.
Having campaigned, not as the Com
munist party, but as the Union Patri-
otique Republicaine ct AntifaSciste, it
has placed itself on nationalistic basis
and has been directed or attuned to
the anti-Vichy currents of popular feel
ing. Moreover, it calls for renovation
rather than revolution and it sings the
"Marseillaise" and waves the tricolor
The question is asked: How long will
it be before some new formation places
itself to the left of the Conmunists?'
Meanwhile, those who have no prejudices
against the Third International and who
feel that democracy, in the old sense OF
the word, lacks forcefulness and cohesion
are giving their support to the Com