The two fires. The French Communist Party (PCF) and the war in Ethiopia (1935-1936)

The French Communist Party (PCF) stood up for Ethiopia against the Italian aggression. In a strong position because of its antifascist strategy, the PCF had to take care of the pacifist feelings among leftist people on the eve of acceding to power. Like Soviet diplomacy, it was concerned with not supporting Britain, as an imperialist power threatened, in that case, by Mussolini, and it had to take into account the priority given by Stalin to the European scene. Having to treat tactfully Italian fascism for fear of bringing closer Rome and Berlin, unable to adopt a clear standpoint in the question of national defence, the PCF could pass the turning point of Hitlers remilitarization of Rhineland thanks to an election-time climate that was not favourable to clear-out decisions.