In order to analyse the conflicts which affected the French Socialist Party in the first six months of 1938, we need to understand the context of tradition and custom within which they occurred. This chapter is intended to establish this context in three stages: first, it discusses the history of the party (the SFIO, Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière) from its origins to 1937, identifying the main problems of doctrine and strategy which it encountered in the 1920s and 1930s; secondly, it reviews the ideas which formed the background to the party's internal discussions in these two decades; and thirdly, it describes the organizational, social and geographical factors which influenced the competition for power between the party's internal groups.

The Origins and History of the SFIO, to 1937

The SFIO was formed in 1905 as a result of a merger of several existing groups, including the Parti Socialiste de France, headed by Jules Guesde (1845–1922), and the Parti Socialiste Français, led by Jean Jaurès (1859–1914). The new organization was expected to co-operate with other parties belonging to the Second Socialist International with the aim of solving the problem of how social and political revolution could be achieved in the existing system of capitalist states.