Socialist Neutralism
Anti-Atlanticism
When the Cold War broke out in the late 1940s, socialist parties were faced with the decision of whether to join or support the North Atlantic alliance against the Soviets, or whether instead to adopt a neutralist approach. As a key ally of the United States, Britain typified the Atlanticist approach, whilst on the other hand, Finland so typified the neutralist approach that the Americans sneeringly referring to neutralists as advocates of "Finlandization". In fact the two superpowers had a problem with the notion of neutralism, and tended to dismiss neutralists as people likely to be dangerously sympathetic to the other side; hence the Americans’ uneasy relations with India, which wanted to maintain friendly relations with the Eastern Bloc.
Ostpolitik
Anti-Atlanticism was strong not only among those socialists which ultimately adopted a neutralist stance, but also among the social democrats of Norway and West Germany. Before reaching power, the German SPD abandoned neutralism (1960) in favour of pro-Atlanticism. However, it remained committed to Ostpolitik, the policy of seeking détente between West Germany and the Eastern bloc. Hence the Federal Republic of Germany signed treaties with the USSR (1970), Poland (1970), East Germany (1972), and Czechoslovakia (1973); and an agreement was signed about the status of Berlin in 1971. Ostpolitik was so successful that the West German Christian Democrats adopted it as well.
Atlanticism
The majority of socialists in Western Europe opted for Atlanticism; these were the strongest supporters of the Socialist International, "a Cold War organization which did little else besides formulate compromise resolutions which never had the slightest importance" (Donald Sassoon).
Yugoslav Neutralism
Yugoslavia rejected Soviet control almost right after the Second World War. It later repudiated Soviet economic methods. Instead Yugoslavia developed a more decentralized system of workers’ self-management. Yugoslavia came to take a leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement.
Socialist Neutralism
The socialist parties of Austria, Finland and Sweden backed neutralism, and in these countries it was not just party policy but national policy. But the Italian and German socialist parties also backed neutralism for a time, as did the leftwing factions of most other socialist parties.
Communist "Neutralism"
Communist parties in Western Europe also claimed to favour neutralism, but in reality they were obviously more sympathetic to the USSR. The same goes for the Italian Socialist Party (a minor party which at times was well to the left of the more sensible and mainstream Italian Communist Party).
Third World Non-Alignment
Jawaharlal Nehru, an Indian socialist and ally of Gandhi, and Tito, the Yugoslav leader, inspired the non-alignment movement that inaugurated itself at the Bandung Conference (1955). The movement supported coexistence and opposed colonialism. More than 100 Third World countries joined it - all neutralist or non-aligned, refusing to support either the Eastern or Western blocs.
©1998 Richard Pond