WI: Union de la Gauche wins the '78 legislative elections?

[Deceptacon]

To say that the French right was in a pitiful state in the late 1970s was a bit of an understatement, VGE having pissed off social conservatives and the Gaullist tendency, who had consolidated themselves under former PM Jacques Chirac under the label of the RPR. It was this climate, amidst the turmoil of the late '70s, that led many to believe that it would be Mitterrand's Parliamentary Left that would triumph over the "Presidential Majority" in the upcoming legislative elections - a notion no doubt emboldened by the Left's earlier victories in the past year's municipal elections.

But against the media consensus, the Parliamentary Left managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, themselves facing infighting among the Socialists and Georges Marchais' Communists - the latter having been embittered by the former's overtaking them with regards to electoral success, and as such, refusing to renew the "Common Program" that both had run under, splitting the alliance of the two.

What if the predictions were right and the Parliamentary Left won the elections, and what would the long-term consequences be? Admittedly I've been at a loss at how to produce such a scenario - sad given the interesting implications for the upcoming presidential election, given how it'd be a leftist rather than a rightist government saddled with the malaise of the late '70s. It'd certainly be closer at the very least - perhaps a greater push from the top for 5-year terms to avoid future Cohabitations? What's your take on this?

 

[Nyvis]

But against the media consensus, the Parliamentary Left managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, themselves facing infighting among the Socialists and Georges Marchais' Communists - the latter having been embittered by the former's overtaking them with regards to electoral success, and as such, refusing to renew the "Common Program" that both had run under, splitting the alliance of the two.

This is really not that accurate. I think you need to dig more into this to make this POD happen than "the communists were mad about PS electoral successes". What a quick search I did found seem to indicate there were disagreements on policy, both on stuff already committed to in the earlier negotiations to establish the common program and in attempts to actualize it.

Considering how Mitterrand's government ended up jettisoning the program and embracing austerity when it got tough, history proved their doubts right. Though by then the PCF was even weaker so he could ignore them more easily.

So yeah you probably have to find an answer to the rupture over the programme commun, either by having a more flexible PCF (good luck) or them having slightly better results and the PS having to go with maintaining commitments if it wants power.

 

[Redolegna]

more flexible PCF

Not happening with Marchais at the helm. Earlier and bigger reveal of the STO stuff?

 

[Nyvis]

Not happening with Marchais at the helm. Earlier and bigger reveal of the STO stuff?

As I said, "good luck". But yeah getting rid of Marchais seems like the way to go. On the other hand I'm not sure how deep the pool of talents in the party can be if he wasn't challenged before that considering how badly he was doing.