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Unit 13: Political Parties

the result that one may hardly make a complete census of all such organisations. It is on account of Notes
this essential fact that while the political parties do not, and also cannot, represent all ‘interests’ of the
society, the groups have to fill the void. The result is that pressure groups “represent all the forces at
work in political life rather than political parties and groups”. An eminent student of this subject
endorses that “for every conceivable interest group, there seems to be an association or a spokesman.
If we look at the Paris telephone directory under ‘association’ or ‘union’ or ‘syndicate’, we shall
quickly realise that there is no possible interest that does not have an office or an organisation in
France. What is more, for each single interest there are many associations”.
Organised groups in France vary from very large and representative entities like the National Council
of French Employers to quite small ones giving sectional representation like the National Federation
of Republic and Veterans. Moreover, while there are some leading business organisations having a
distinctly economic character like that of National Council of Small and Medium-Size Business, there
are others having a purely academic character like that of the Confederation of Intellectual Workers
of France. The workers have their own trade union organisations, the most important of which is the
General Confederation of Labour. We may study the leading interest organisations of France grouped
into some important categories in the following manner:
In the first place, we take up the case of business and employers’ organisations. The name of CGPF
(Confederation Generale de la Production Francaise) renamed as CNPF (Counsel Nationale du Patronat
Francaise) in 1945 deserves mention here. This organisation is said to have been born in an unfriendly
environment. Though the new Council was technically a federation covering all types of firms, small
and medium-size enterprises were organised under Leon Gingembre into a semi-independent
Confederation called the CGPME (Confederation Generale des Petites at Moyennes Enterprises) which
because of the large number, smaller income of its members and the general cult of the ‘petit’, could
afford to be more militant. When the employers of large firms felt somewhat uncertain of their rights,
a section of the Petronat organised into a Centre des Jeunes Patrons aimed at more progressive attitudes
and criticised typical bases for their conservatism.
Probably the most solidly organised professional group in France is that of the businessmen. It includes
industrialists, corporation managers, bankers and merchants. It is the CNPF that, as claimed by its
leaders, includes almost a million firms, which employ about 6 million wage earners and salaried
personnel. Besides individual firms, it also includes other business associations, of which the CNPME
(Counsil Nationale des Petiteset Moyens Enterprises) is one together with organisations representing
particular industries such as chemicals, steel and shipbuilding. Its function are: (a) to establish a
liaison between industry and commerce, (b) to represent business firms before the public authorities,
(c) to undertake studies for the purpose of improving the economic and social conditions of the
country;, and (d) to provide information to its members. The Council speaks on behalf of many
powerful interests. Its representative character and its huge size “render it somewhat inflexible and
immobile, and its highly diversified membership makes it difficult to arrive at a common attitude on
particular issues”.
The class of wage-earners and salaried personnel has its own organised groups, the most important
of which is the General Confederation of Labour—C.G.T. (Confederation General du Travail), It includes
many industrial unions of craftsmen, steel workers, artisans etc. Its directive medium is the National
Confederation Committee that is elected by the delegates to the annual National Congress. The French
Confederation of Democratic Labour—CFDT— is very much like the CGT in respect of its organisation.
Most of its members desist from adopting the tactics of the communist leaders who have been in
power in the CGT. A militant section of this organisation left it to form the National Confederation of
Labour —CNT— that is said to be influenced with the philosophy of anarchism.
The interests of the farmers, particularly the richer ones, are represented by the National Federation
of Farmers—FNSEA. It claims the membership of 700,000 farmers. As this organisation is largely
dominated by the richer sections of the peasantry, the socialists, communists and others have also
formed their splinter groups. For instance, the socialists have their General Confederation of Workers,
the communists run their General Confederation of Agriculture, Farm Workers, the Catholics and
the MRP work through various Catholic Action Groups, while a dynamic and small group of
agriculture experts, technicians and intellectuals has organised the National Council of Young Farmers.

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