Cheese, Baguettes, and Victor Hugo
France’s right wing claims “Islamo-leftism” is subverting their national culture. But “Frenchness” has always been in flux.
89 Article(s) by: David Broder
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David Broder is Jacobin’s Europe editor and a historian of French and Italian communism.
Technocrats in Suits, Not Blackshirts, Rule Europe
The fascist-inspired government in Italy, like the far-right government in Hungary, is part of European neoliberalism, not an alternative to it.
In Italy’s Deserted Democracy, Far-Right Giorgia Meloni Has Emerged Victorious
Yesterday’s Italian election brought victory for Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia — and record-low turnout. The opposition between technocrats and the far right is the symptom of a deeper decline.
When Italy’s Escalator Ground to a Halt
Postwar Italy’s “escalator” system kept wages ahead of price hikes. In the 1980s, a socialist government brought it grinding to a halt — sending workers’ incomes on a decades-long downward trend.
Hillary Clinton Is Wrong: Electing a Far-Right Woman Is Not a Step Forward for Women
Hillary Clinton has claimed that Giorgia Meloni becoming Italy’s first woman prime minister will “open doors” for women. Yet Meloni’s far-right agenda closes doors for women who want well-paid jobs, sexual autonomy, and reproductive rights.
Italy’s Centrists Are Failing to Take the Fight to the Far Right
Giorgia Meloni’s far-right party is on course to victory in next month’s Italian election. She’s benefiting from indulgent media — and the center left’s failure to explain how it can break Italy out of its long stagnation.
Mario Fiorentini (1918–2022): The Last Partisan
Mario Fiorentini was the last surviving militant of Rome’s Communist-led Gruppi d’Azione Patriottica partisan units. With his passing last night, we lost a powerful witness to the fight against Italian Fascism and German occupation.
Technocrats Will Never Stop the Far Right, in Italy or Anywhere Else
Former central banker Mario Draghi has resigned as Italian prime minister, pushing the country into snap elections. Best-placed to benefit is the only major force that opposed his government: Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia.
Boris Johnson Is Going, but We’re Stuck With the Same Right-Wing Nightmare
Boris Johnson has been brought down by Tory ministers who damn his lack of integrity. But the obsessive focus on his personal conduct obscures his disastrous political record — one that Keir Starmer’s Labour also isn’t challenging.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon Is Popular Because He Confronts the Powerful
For years, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has faced endless accusations of “divisiveness” and “extremism.” Today, his left-wing movement is more popular than ever — and it’s because it didn’t shy away from taking on French elites.
Thank You, Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Mélenchon narrowly failed to make the runoff in France’s presidential election. But there are signs that the French left can come back stronger than ever.
Israel Has Again Arrested Palestinian Lawyer and Jacobin Contributor Salah Hamouri
On Sunday, Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri published a Jacobin op-ed about the harassment he has suffered at the hands of Israeli authorities. On Monday morning, they raided his home and jailed him.
We Spoke to Russian Socialists Who Are Protesting Vladimir Putin’s War
On Friday, Russia’s parliament passed a law threatening 15-year jail sentences for critics of the war on Ukraine — but on Sunday, thousands still took to the streets in protests. We spoke to Russian socialists about why they’re refusing to give in.
Stop Pretending the Left Is on Putin’s Side
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is based on obviously reactionary pretexts. The Left has nothing to do with his agenda — and should make no apologies for opposing a US military response.
When France Executed Its Own Soldiers
In the beginning of World War I, hundreds of French soldiers were executed by the French army “to set an example” and keep other soldiers in line. Only now, more than a century later, has France’s National Assembly voted for their rehabilitation.
The Last Thing Labour Needs Is a “Progressive Alliance”
The Liberal Democrats’ by-election victory in a seat long held by the Tories has fed talk of an electoral pact between Labour and the Lib Dems. But Labour needs to be rebuilt as a party of the working class — not just another brand of vaguely defined progressives.
Italy’s Government Is Outsourcing Its Economic Strategy To Private Management Consultants McKinsey
Last month, former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi formed a new government whose top ministries were handed to unelected technocrats. Now his "government of experts" has outsourced its economic plan to private management consultants McKinsey — without voters having ever had any say in the matter.
Italy’s “National Unity” Government Is the Cutting Edge of Post-Democratic Governance
Mario Draghi's new Italian government has been hailed for uniting all political forces from the center-left to the hard-right Lega. Yet the adulation of the former European Central Bank chief as a "national savior" continues a trend elevating technocratic economic decisions above democratic choice — and it's working-class Italians who'll suffer.
The Italian Left’s Long Divorce from the Working Class
In postwar decades, Italy boasted the West’s largest communist party, yet by the mid-1970s, its promise of social transformation had been all but abandoned. Swallowing the basics of neoliberal economics, the Left became increasingly distant from workers’ material interests — with disastrous results.
How the Italian Communists Fought the Rise of Fascism
Founded 100 years ago today, the Italian Communist Party immediately faced a violent wave of repression, killing hundreds of militants. As policemen, business elites, and even liberal politicians swung behind Benito Mussolini, no party resisted the Fascist threat more than the Communists.