The French communist party, the general confederation of labour, and the nuclear debate

Abstract

The article uses the changing character of the French nuclear debate to examine the policy analysis and discourse of the PCF and the CGT. Whereas the shared ideological vision of these organisations was unchallenged during the early years of the debate, they faced growing difficulties in assimilating the issues raised by an increasingly informed anti‐nuclear opposition. Although ideologically both organisations have faced similar difficulties in adapting to the changing debate, the degree of inconsistency in their discourse has been determined largely by their different organisational structures. The CGTs relative heterogeneity compared with the PCF makes it more vulnerable to internal stress.