Mitterrand’s Victory: Politics of the Left

Why did Francois Mitterrand, after winning an absolute majority in the Assembly, take Communists into his government, thereby risking difficulties with foreign leaders and possibly causing some second thoughts among his center-left constituency? The fact is that, whatever one may think of his action, it is quite consistent and reflects a policy defined almost 20 years ago. This policy is to unite the left, and it also aims at bringing the influence of the Communist party back to what should be its normal level in a nation such as France. This latter goal is what has been called altering the balance within the left. For a long time, the Communists have been accusing Mitterrand of trying to use them as a reserve, so to speak, and have been...