French socialism and Austromarxism: archaeology of a failed transfer (1904–1934)

Abstract From the end of the nineteenth century onwards, Austrian socialism was characterized by the development of specific theories and practices, known as Austromarxism, building an original way of constructing socialism. This article looks at the reception in France of these theories and experiments initiated within Austrian social democracy. The Austromarxist path aroused an interest in French socialism that, although limited, was nonetheless recurrent from before the First World War. The inclusion of French socialism, marked by a certain theoretical weakness, in the doctrinal debates that agitated international socialism is essential to understanding its evolution from the end of the nineteenth century onwards. The aim of this contribution is therefore to highlight the development of this Austromarxist reference within French socialism, and the influence it may have had on certain tendencies within the French Socialist Party, particularly during the interwar period marked by various attempts at ideological and political renewal.