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Marselle BlaybtroyFrench Trotskyist, Marxist theorist.
Date of Birth: 26.08.1918
Country:  France |
Content:
- Marcel Bleibtreu: French Trotskyist and Marxist Theoretician
- Involvement with Trotskyist Movement
- Split and Leadership of the Revolutionary Socialist Tendency (RST)
- Advocacy for International Solidarity and Later Years
Marcel Bleibtreu: French Trotskyist and Marxist Theoretician
Early Life and Political AwakeningMarcel Bleibtreu was born in Marseille on August 26, 1918, amidst the turmoil of World War I. After graduating from Lycée Condorcet, he pursued medical studies in Paris. In 1936, Bleibtreu's political consciousness was ignited when he joined the Internationalist Workers' Party (POI).
Involvement with Trotskyist Movement
In 1944, the POI merged with other Trotskyist groups to form the Internationalist Communist Party (PCI), the French section of the Fourth International. Bleibtreu, under the pseudonym Pierre Favre, led political work in Parisian suburbs like Puteaux, Suresnes, and Nanterre. In November 1944, he became editor of the party's journal, "La Vérité." In 1946, he was elected General Secretary of the PCI.
Split and Leadership of the Revolutionary Socialist Tendency (RST)
Together with Pierre Lambert, Bleibtreu became a leading figure in the 1952 split within the PCI and the 1953 split within the Fourth International. During the Algerian War of Independence, disagreements between Lambert and Bleibtreu emerged over support for Algerian national liberation organizations. Bleibtreu supported the Revolutionary Committee for Unity and Action (CRUA), while Lambert favored the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD). In 1955, Lambert expelled Bleibtreu and his supporters from the PCI.
Formation of the Bolshevik-Leninist Group and Involvement in the New Left
Bleibtreu's expelled group became known as the Groupe des Bolsheviks-Léninistes and launched a journal called "Trotskyisme." They later allied with members of the "New Left" to form the Revolutionary Socialist Tendency (RST). The RST participated in the creation of the Union of Socialist Leftists in the late 1950s and the Unified Socialist Party (PSU) in 1960. Bleibtreu served as a member of the PSU's political committee until his departure in 1964.
Advocacy for International Solidarity and Later Years
Bleibtreu remained active in solidarity campaigns with Vietnam. In 1967, he organized the "Art for Peace in Vietnam" exhibition in Paris. In 1993, he revisited this initiative with an exhibition in Athens criticizing the embargo against Iraq. Marcel Bleibtreu passed away on December 25, 2001, leaving behind a significant legacy as a French Trotskyist and Marxist theoretician.
