France

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Workers' Struggle (Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union (Union Communiste ) (Trotskyist), a French Trotskyist political party, is known (technically, it is the name of the weekly paper edited by the party). Arlette Laguiller has been its spokeswoman since 1973 and has run in each presidential election, but Robert Barcia (Hardy) is its founder and central leader. It is a member of the Internationalist Communist Union. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Symbol of the French government The government of France is a semi-presidential system based on the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares itself to be an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic. The constitution provides for a separation of powers and proclaims Frances... Symbol of the French government The President of the French Republic (French: ) colloquially referred to as President of France, is Frances elected Head of State. ... Nicolas Sarkozy   (born Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa on 28 January 1955 in Paris, France) is the President-Elect of France after defeating Socialist Party leader Ségolène Royal during the 2007 election. ... // Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (20 December 1848 - 2 December 1852) Louis Jules Trochu (September 4, 1870 - January 22, 1871) (Interim President) Adolphe Thiers (17 February 1871 - 24 May 1873) (Head of Executive Power to 31 August 1871) Marshal Patrice de Mac-Mahon (24 May 1873 - 30 January 1879) Jules Armand... The Prime Minister of France (Premier ministre de la France) is the functional head of the Cabinet of France. ... François Fillon (IPA: ; born March 4, 1954 in Le Mans, Sarthe) is the Prime Minister of France (since May 17, 2007). ... This page is a list of French prime ministers. ... The Parlement of France is bicameral, and consists of the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) and the Senate (Sénat). ... The Palais Bourbon, front The French National Assembly (French: ) is one of the two houses of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. ... The Senate (in French : le Sénat) is the upper house of the Parliament of France. ... The French Congress (French: ) is the name given to the body created when both houses of the present-day French Parliament – the French National Assembly and the French Senate – reunite at the Château of Versailles to vote on revisions to the French constitution. ... A republican guard giving directions to visitors at the front entrance of the Constitutional Council The Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel) was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958. ... The Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation in French) is the main court of last resort in France. ... Political parties in France lists political parties in France. ... Charles de Gaulle, in his generals uniform Gaullism (French: Gaullisme) is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. ... France is a representative democracy. ... The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates (Jacques Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen) on 5 May 2002. ... The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term. ... These are the results of the French legislative election of 2002 Category: ... The French legislative election will take place on 10 June and 17 June 2007 to elect the 13th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, a few weeks after the French presidential election run-off on 6 May. ... In France, the country is often called the patrie des droits de lHomme (human rights homeland), mostly ironically by persons who complain about a perceived violation of theses rights. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Departments (French: départements) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and international organization of 27 member states. ... A charter member of the United Nations, France holds one of the permanent seats in the Security Council and is a member of most of its specialized and related agencies. ... The honour entrance to the Ministry building on the Quai dOrsay The Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the Government of France, is the cabinet member responsible for the Republics network of relationships with foreign nations. ... This is a list of major political scandals in France: 1816 shipwreck of and search for French frigate Medusa off the west coast of Africa Dreyfus Affair, 1894 treason conviction of Alfred Dreyfus - exposed by writer Emile Zola on January 13, 1898 The Ben Barka affair, 1965 disappearance of the... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Arlette Laguiller (born March 18, 1940) is the spokeswoman and by far the best known leader of the Lutte Ouvrière French Trotskyist political party. ... Robert Barcia is a leader of the Union Communiste Internationaliste (UCI), a Trotskyist organisation that is better known by the name of its weekly paper Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle). ... The word leadership can refer to: the process of leading. ... The Internationalist Communist Union (in French, Union Communiste Internationaliste) is an international grouping of Trotskyist political parties, centred on Lutte Ouvrière in France. ...

History

Its origins lie in a tiny group called the Trotskyist Group founded in 1939 by David Korner (Barta). This developed factory work throughout the war and was instrumental in the Renault strike of 1947, along with the anarcho-syndicalists. The group was exhausted by this effort and collapsed in 1952. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... David Korner, also known as Barta, was a Romanian Trotskyist militant. ... Renault S.A. is a French vehicle manufacturer producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Anarcho-syndicalist flag. ...

After various attempts to revive the Trotskyist Group, Voix Ouvrière was founded in 1956 by Robert Barcia, better known as Hardy and the group's preminent leader, and by Pierre Bois, a leading activist in the Renault plant. It would seem that some effort was made to involve Barta but disputes between him, Hardy and Bois prevented this from happening. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Barcia is a leader of the Union Communiste Internationaliste (UCI), a Trotskyist organisation that is better known by the name of its weekly paper Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle). ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ...

VO established itself through the 1960s by producing a series of factory bulletins on a regular, usually weekly, basis which were mass distributed. This activity could be dangerous as this was still a period when the Communist Party of France (PCF) retained its hegemonic position within the workers movement in France and they would at times make efforts to physically prevent the distribution by VO of its bulletins. In part this explains the continued use of a level of semi-clandestine operation within VO and in LO even today. The French Communist Party (Parti communiste français or PCF) was founded in 1920. ...

After being banned due to its support of the Students Revolt of May' 68, the group became Lutte Ouvrière. A May 1968 poster: Be young and shut up, with stereotypical silhouette of General de Gaulle. ...

1970s until today

An ongoing issue is the possibility and conditions of cooperation with fellow Trotskyist party the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire, the French section of the reunified Fourth International. In 1970, LO initiated fusion discussions with the LC (as the LCR was then called). After extensive discussions, the two organisations had agreed the basis for a fused organisation. However, the fusion was not completed. In 1976 discussions between the Ligue and Lutte Ouvrière progressed again. The two organisations started to produce a common weekly supplement to their newspapers, common electoral work and other common campaigning. Since then on occasions the two organizations have stood joint candidates at some elections. The Revolutionary Communist League (Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire) (LCR) is a French Trotskyist political party. ... The reunified Fourth International was created in 1963 by the reunification of the majorities of two public factions of the Fourth International: the International Secretariat of the Fourth International (ISFI) and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). ...

LO has made great efforts to stand in elections either on its own or in an alliance with the LCR. Arlette Laguiller has, as a result, become well known to the public as LO's perennial Presidential candidate. Another very public activity of LO is their annual fete which is held in the grounds of a chateau which the organisation purchased for that purpose in 1981. The annual Fête de Lutte Ouvrière is probably the largest public gathering of the revolutionary left in Europe at this point in time.

The early 1970s also saw two breakways from Lutte Ouvriere. The first such split in 1974 was centered on Bordeaux and took the name l'Union Ouvriere but rapidly disintegrated. So much so that when another small split group that developed a year later expected to be able to fuse with l'Union Ouvriere, it found it had already disappeared and were forced to form their own organisation as a consequence. This new group, Combat Communiste, was to evolve into the affiliate of the International Socialist Tendency.

Another more recent breakaway developed after Arlette Laguiller's relatively high electoral results in the 1990s and LO's statement that this meant that a new workers' party was a possibility. This statement, as well as a dispute over the personal code members were expected to abide by, led to the departure of over 100 members to form the Voix des Travailleurs grouping. This later fused with another smaller group but has more recently joined the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire as a recognised faction. Meanwhile a minority tendency continues to exist within LO and appears publicly, although its supporters are segregated in their own cells. The Revolutionary Communist League (Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire) (LCR) is a French Trotskyist political party. ...

LO has supported the 2004 French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools. It considers that the hijab s are a "visible sign of women's submission to their husbands and brothers". While considering the law as hypocrite, L.O. stated that it could "help women who try to resist ambient sexism in their familial or social environment" 25 April 2003). The French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools bans wearing conspicuous religious symbols in French public (i. ... Illustration of an Islamic headscarf “Higab” redirects here. ...

Following the very low score of Arlette Laguiller at the first round of the April-May 2007 presidential election (1,33%, compared to 5,72% in 2002), the party was left with a debt of 1,4 millions Euros. According to Michel Rodinson, a responsible of the party, the campaign cost was in total of 2 millions Euros (800,000 of which are paid by the state). The rent of the Zenith for meetings in Paris, as well as the December political poster campaign, account for most of the expenses.^[1] The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term. ... The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates (Jacques Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen) on 5 May 2002. ... Le Zénith is the name of a number of famous concert venues in France. ...

Leadership

Arlette Laguiller

For long, the internal organisations of the party were largely unknown to the general public, the spokeswoman and regular presidential candidate Arlette Laguiller being the only party leader appearing in public. Even to party members, some leaders were known only by cadre names. Such measures of secrecy were justified by the possibility that the party may have to enter clandestinity, should there be opportunities for a Communist revolution. For the same reason, marriages and children were (and still are) discouraged. Lutte Ouvrière has thus often been criticised as being a political cult, for example by Daniel Cohn-Bendit, his older brother Gabriel Cohn-Bendit, L'Humanité and Libération.^[2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Arlette Laguiller (born March 18, 1940) is the spokeswoman and by far the best known leader of the Lutte Ouvrière French Trotskyist political party. ... Clandestine is an adjective meaning that its reference is something secret or guerrilla in nature, such as certain activities executed by spies. ... It has been suggested that Proletarian revolution be merged into this article or section. ... Political cult is a term used to describe some groups on what is generally considered to be the political fringe. ... Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Ash Wednesday 2004 at Biberach/Riss Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit (born Montauban, France, April 4, 1945) is a European politician and was a leader of the student protesters during the May 1968 riots in France. ... LHumanité (Humanity), formerly the daily newspaper of the French Communist Party (PCF), was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the SFIO socialist party. ... Libération (affectionately known as Libé) is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris in 1973 by Jean-Paul Sartre, Pierre Victor alias Benny Lévy and Serge July in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. ...

In part this strict disciplinary attitude has enabled LO to be a very stable organisation in contrast to the instability that they allege characterises so many other left groups. In fact LO is a difficult organisation to actually join and after becoming a member individuals are expected to conform to a code of conduct which is considered old fashioned by some critics.

International relations

LO maintains relations with the following other Trotskyist groups (Internationalist Communist Union): The Internationalist Communist Union (in French, Union Communiste Internationaliste) is an international grouping of Trotskyist political parties, centred on Lutte Ouvrière in France. ...

• Workers' Fight (UK)
• The Spark, a US group founded in 1971
• Antilles : Combat Ouvrier
• Haïti : Organisation Révolutionnaire des travailleurs
• Africa : Union Africaine des Travailleurs Communistes Internationalistes
• Turkey : Sinif Mucadelesi
• Spain: Lucha de Clase

Workers Fight has been the name of several Trotskyist groups and publications in the United Kingdom. ... The Spark is a small Trotskyist group in the United States. ... The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean. ... Haiti is a country situated on the western third of the island of Hispaniola and the smaller islands of La Gonâve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Grande Caye, and Ile a Vache in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba; the Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola with Haiti. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

References

A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area — with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ... LHumanité (Humanity), formerly the daily newspaper of the French Communist Party (PCF), was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the SFIO socialist party. ...

See also

• Arlette Laguiller
• Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire
• Parti des Travailleurs

Arlette Laguiller (born March 18, 1940) is the spokeswoman and by far the best known leader of the Lutte Ouvrière French Trotskyist political party. ... The Revolutionary Communist League (Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire) (LCR) is a French Trotskyist political party. ... The Party of the Workers (Parti des Travailleurs or PT), is a French political party which was formed by the Trotskyist Internationalist Communist Party (PCI) led by Pierre Boussel better known by his pseudonym Pierre Lambert (it was customary for senior leaders of the party to be known under pseudonyms...

External links

• Lutte Ouvrière's official site
• Internationalist Communist Union site
• Message Board Animated by Friends of Lutte Ouvrière (FR)