The West European Communist Parties and the Emergence of their Political Identity. Case study: The Belgian Communist Party
The West European Communist Parties and the Emergence of their Political Identity. Case study: The Belgian Communist Party

Summary/Abstract: Although they were situated in a democratic, politically pluralistic environment, the position of the West European communist parties was similar to that of the parties in the Soviet block, as they were subordinated to Kremlin and connected both ideologically and doctrinally to the Soviet model of constructing socialism. Starting with the 60s, in the West European communism, the political identity of these parties is changing. The détente between the East andWest in the early 70s would create a favourable context for the affirmation of the West European communist parties on their own political scene. From that moment on, collaboration with the socialists and the social-democrats would be necessary. Moreover, the West European communist parties also needed a change of their Soviet-inspired political discourse. The implementation of communism had to be reinterpreted. Communism had to be adapted to the concrete historical and political realities in their own states. Therefore, on the international communist movement’s level, the consolidation of the political identity had to be marked by the emancipation from the Soviet tutorship. The need for unity of the Left political forces in Western Europe, the disagreement with both power poles of the Cold War, together with the approach of the Euro-communism thesis, they were all aspects of the centrifugal tendencies towards Moscow’s policy and of the affirming of their own political identity. The identity struggles of theWest European communism did not bypass the Belgian Communist Party (BCP). In the case study of this article, the author analyses and interprets the transcripts of the meetings between the Romanian Communist Party and the Belgian Communist Party. Using as research method the document analysis, the study reveals the West European communist parties’ efforts to affirm their identities.

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