Enemy Brothers Socialists and Communists in France, Italy, and Spain

Since the founding of the Socialist and Communist parties in the 1920s, the two parties have engaged in episodes of both rivalry and cooperation, with each party seeking to dominate the European Left. Enemy Brothers analyzes this relationship from the origins of the parties to the present, focusing on Italy, France, and Spain, where Socialists and Communists have been especially active and politically influential. Using field work and interviews as a base, W. Rand Smith details the critical junctures and selection of political allies that largely shaped the political fortunes of each party in all three countries during the 1960s and 1970s. Enemy Brothers compares and explains the parties' diverse alliance strategies, stressing the key role of institutional arrangements, political party culture, and leadership.

W. Rand Smith is Irvin L. and Fern D. Young Presidential Professor of Politics and associate dean of faculty at Lake Forest College.