eurocommunist

Eurocommunism was a tendency within several Western European communist parties during the 1970s and 1980s that sought to pursue socialist goals through democratic means and to chart an independent path from the Soviet Union. It stressed that socialism could be achieved within liberal democracies, rather than through revolution or one-party rule.

Key features include a commitment to pluralist democracy, human rights, and reform through parliamentary participation and coalitions. Proponents advocated a democratic road to socialism, rejecting both totalitarianism and the authoritarian practices associated with some Soviet-style regimes. They argued for political pluralism, electoral competition, and gradual reform as legitimate means to transform society.

The Italian Communist Party (PCI) under Enrico Berlinguer became the movement’s most prominent example, promoting the idea of a broad-based “historic compromise” with the Christian Democrats to pursue reform. Other Western European parties, such as the French and Spanish communist parties, pursued similar, though not identical, approaches emphasizing autonomy from Moscow and cooperation within democratic institutions.

Relation to the Soviet Union and reception: Eurocommunists stressed independence from Soviet control and criticized Soviet-style governance, while maintaining allegiance to socialist objectives. The approach drew both support for its democratic orientation and criticism from hardline factions who accused it of departing from revolutionary principles or compromising with capitalism.

Decline and legacy: By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the eurocommunist project largely dissolved as the Soviet system collapsed and Western European parties redefined themselves, with some transforming into social-democratic or reformist parties (for example, the PCI’s successor organizations in Italy). Today, eurocommunism is viewed as a historical phase that influenced debates about socialism, democracy, and reform within the European left.