The French Socialist and German Social Democratic Parties and the Future of the Working Class in the European Coal & Steel Community, 1948-1954

Although the status of workers in the European Coal & Steel Community (ECSC) was not the determining factor in French Socialist (SFIO) and German Social Democratic (SPD) policy towards the Schuman Plan, the two parties made sustained efforts to protect workers’ interests within the Community. Du...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Brian Shaev is a doctoral candidate in Modern European History at the University of Pittsburgh.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Diacronie 2012-01-01
Series:Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.studistorici.com/2012/02/13/shaev_numero_9/
Description
Summary:Although the status of workers in the European Coal & Steel Community (ECSC) was not the determining factor in French Socialist (SFIO) and German Social Democratic (SPD) policy towards the Schuman Plan, the two parties made sustained efforts to protect workers’ interests within the Community. During the Schuman Plan debates, SPD leaders argued that they had higher chances of enacting a program of full employment and socialization at the national level, rather than within a supranational community, while the SFIO leaders concluded that the High Authority would strengthen the influence of workers in the coal and steel industries. After ECSC ratification, the SFIO and SPD criticized the paucity of the ECSC’s social achievements, and consistently pressured the High Authority to enforce the social provisions of the Treaty of Paris.
ISSN:2038-0925
2038-0925