COMMUNIST YOUTH CUT APRON STRINGS
The French Communist youth are beginning to give indications of getting out of hand -~ at least the hand of Thorez. This was rather evident at. the recent congress held by the UEC (Union des Etudiants Communists), an organisation under the control of the UJCF (Union des Jeunesses Communistes de France).
The UEC has about 4,000 members, the strongest. sector being at the Paris University where 1,500 members are listed. The monthly paper of the organisation Clarta has a press run of between . 15,000 to 20,000. .
Nuances have appeared in the UEC in the past. .Some of the leaders, for instance, against the orders of the Political Bureau _of the French Communist party, participated in the FUA (Front .- Universitaire Antifasciste) which organized some 7,000 students in Paris during the last year of the war against Algeria. Again in the crisis in the Political Bureau over the differences with Casanova and Servin (beginning in 1960), a leader of the UEC. felt
the disciplinary ax along with then and. other members of the Central Committee. But no open revolt occurred; The UEC appeared to be ee tightly to the political apron strings of. the Thorez leader- 8 pe ; my E
_ Recently the UEC began to display an inclination to echo the. views of the Togliatti leadership in the Italian Communist party. Leaderships of other Communist parties likewise seemed to be fishing among the French Communist youth. . oe ee,
When the UEC, leadership decided to hold a congress at the end of February, the Political Bureau sought to have it postponed. But the proposal was rejected. Preparations for the congress took place in defiance of the Thorez leadership.
The Thorez tendency received support only in the provincial universities and among older students. In the Periz University and supewters, left tendencies appeared, including pro-Chinese and pro-Cuban. :
The differences did not take clear political form even at the congress. Minor incidents thus tended to receive undue emphasis as substitutes for clearer expressions.
An Italian youth representative, for instance, made a rather confused speech, veering from left to right on various points... But his remarks were greatly appreciated by the audience because they raised problems that required thoughtful consideration. The delegates awarded the speech with warm applause, finally rising to their feet. The representatives of the Central Committee, among them Roland Leroy, remained ostentatiously seated. After a few minutes, the delegates clamored, "Debout! Debout:" (Stand up! Stand up!")
The pro-Thorez wing received only about one-third of the votes and the main supporter of the Political Bureau was not elected to the National Committee of the UEC. Due to the political confusion it is not easy to determine exact shadings, but about one-fifth appear to be inclined to the left.:
The importance of this development among the Communist youth of France lies not so much in any crystallization of definite political tendencies as in the open rebellion against the Thorez leadership. The first time that this has occurred, it marks a ‘ very significant step forward.
It is quite possible that the rebellion was covertly encouraged by a sector of the top leadership of the French Communist party itself, and that it is symptomatic of a deeper crisis in thi organization over the process of de-Stalinization.
How the Thorez leadership will react remains to be seen. If it turns to disciplinary measures, it may stir up further rebellion.
a If it does not, the youth who got away with it, will feel emboldened enough to begin asking the fossiliz ed Thorez leader~ ship some new, highly embarrassing questions.
At Iong last France's Communist youth seem about to begin thinking for themselves and this bodes no good for Thorez.