The rise and fall of Eurocommunism

In the second half of the 1970s, the Italian Communist forged an international alliance with their French and Spanish partners, based on independence from the USSR, detachment from the Soviet model, and the idea of Western socialism founded upon democratic principles. The partnership of the three Western Communist parties gave rise to what was called Eurocommunism. The Eurocommunists adopted a vision of détente as a source of political change that clashed with the conservative notions prevailing in Washington and in Moscow. They underlined the role of Europe as a global player, thus contesting bipolarity as an outdated international order. By emphasizing the virtues of pluralism and reform, they helped destroy discipline in the Communist camp and presented the Soviets with a political message that threatened to destabilize their dominion over Central and Eastern Europe. The leading Eurocommunist party, the PCI, increased its national strength to the point of becoming a plausible party of government in Italy. All of this made Eurocommunism a significant international phenomenon. However, the Eurocommunists overestimated the potential for change in the Cold War system and for reform in the Communist world. As a political phenomenon, Eurocommunism was never consistent and successful. When détente began to collapse, the rifts in the alliance between the three main West European Communist Parties became apparent, and their cooperation broke down. Before the decade was out, Eurocommunism had ceased to be a significant international force. The search for a “third way” between social democracy and Soviet socialism remained a dream of the Italian Communists alone.