Cheese, Baguettes, and Victor Hugo
France’s right wing claims “Islamo-leftism” is subverting their national culture. But “Frenchness” has always been in flux.
201 Articles by: David Broder
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David Broder is Jacobin’s Europe editor and a historian of French and Italian communism.
Technocrats in Suits, Not Blackshirts, Rule Europe
The fascist-inspired government in Italy, like the far-right government in Hungary, is part of European neoliberalism, not an alternative to it.
Taking Back Left Parties From the Brahmins
Across Western countries, the decline in class-based voting isn’t inevitable: it results from political choices.
Sweden’s New Government Is Dominated by the Far Right’s Agenda
New Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson comes from a party called the Moderates. But his majority relies on the votes of the far-right Sweden Democrats — and their pressure is already visible in his plans for government.
Nobel Prize Winner Annie Ernaux Speaks on How Class Shapes Her Writing
This week, French writer Annie Ernaux was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. In an interview, she explains how her class background and the reality of class divides shape her writing.
In Italy’s Deserted Democracy, Far-Right Giorgia Meloni Has Emerged Victorious
Yesterday’s Italian election brought victory for Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia — and record-low turnout. The opposition between technocrats and the far right is the symptom of a deeper decline.
When Italy’s Escalator Ground to a Halt
Postwar Italy’s “escalator” system kept wages ahead of price hikes. In the 1980s, a socialist government brought it grinding to a halt — sending workers’ incomes on a decades-long downward trend.
Hillary Clinton Is Wrong: Electing a Far-Right Woman Is Not a Step Forward for Women
Hillary Clinton has claimed that Giorgia Meloni becoming Italy’s first woman prime minister will “open doors” for women. Yet Meloni’s far-right agenda closes doors for women who want well-paid jobs, sexual autonomy, and reproductive rights.
Airbrushing Italy’s Fascist Past Is Helping Today’s Far Right
For three decades, revisionists have systematically turned Italy’s discussion of World War II away from Fascist crimes and toward the Italians killed by anti-fascist partisans. The effect has been to trivialize the Fascist past — and legitimize a new far right.
Italy’s Centrists Are Failing to Take the Fight to the Far Right
Giorgia Meloni’s far-right party is on course to victory in next month’s Italian election. She’s benefiting from indulgent media — and the center left’s failure to explain how it can break Italy out of its long stagnation.
Italy’s Poll Leader Says It’s “Conservative” — but Its Ideology Has Clear Fascist Elements
Leading polls for September’s general election, Giorgia Meloni has again distanced her party from the Mussolini era. Yet its politics remain based on ethnonationalism, anti-communism, and the rejection of Enlightenment values.
Mario Fiorentini (1918–2022): The Last Partisan
Mario Fiorentini was the last surviving militant of Rome’s Communist-led Gruppi d’Azione Patriottica partisan units. With his passing last night, we lost a powerful witness to the fight against Italian Fascism and German occupation.
How Italy’s Far Right Fell in Love with the United States
In 1945, Italian fascists saw US forces as occupiers, not liberators. Yet in postwar decades, neofascists sought to insert themselves into the Western anti-communist alliance: an “Atlanticism” that continues to inspire the far right today.
Technocrats Will Never Stop the Far Right, in Italy or Anywhere Else
Former central banker Mario Draghi has resigned as Italian prime minister, pushing the country into snap elections. Best-placed to benefit is the only major force that opposed his government: Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia.
Boris Johnson Is Going, but We’re Stuck With the Same Right-Wing Nightmare
Boris Johnson has been brought down by Tory ministers who damn his lack of integrity. But the obsessive focus on his personal conduct obscures his disastrous political record — one that Keir Starmer’s Labour also isn’t challenging.
France’s Revived Left Can Stop Emmanuel Macron in His Tracks
Neoliberal president Emmanuel Macron has lost his majority in the French parliament. The mass of newly elected left-wing MPs can disrupt his attacks on France’s welfare model — but it also needs to help rebuild resistance in wider society.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon Is Popular Because He Confronts the Powerful
For years, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has faced endless accusations of “divisiveness” and “extremism.” Today, his left-wing movement is more popular than ever — and it’s because it didn’t shy away from taking on French elites.
In France, a Left-Wing Bloc Is Uniting to Stop Macron
France’s Greens, Socialists, and Communists have joined a coalition supporting Jean-Luc Mélenchon for prime minister. He has proven that a transformative program is the best way to inspire millions — and to deny Emmanuel Macron a majority in parliament.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon Defied the Smears — and Provided Hope for France’s Left
After years of media attempts to cast him as “divisive” and “soft on Islamism,” Jean-Luc Mélenchon took a historic high vote in France’s election. Leftist MP Danièle Obono told Jacobin how his campaign defied the smears — and saved the Left from collapse.
Thank You, Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Mélenchon narrowly failed to make the runoff in France’s presidential election. But there are signs that the French left can come back stronger than ever.