Le Havre Program

Le Havre Program 

the program of the French Workers’ Party (founded in 1879) adopted at the congress in Le Havre, which was held Nov. 16-22, 1880. It was worked out by J. Guèsde and P. Lafargue with the direct assistance of K. Marx and F. Engels. Marx wrote the introductory part of the program, which justified and substantiated the need for a political party of the working class and defined the tasks and goals of the struggle of the proletariat and its party. A minimum program was appended to the theoretical part of the Le Havre Program; this included the demands for freedom of expression, the press, and association; a weekly rest period for workers; and the eight-hour working day. Despite criticisms by Marx and Engels, Utopian and semianarchist demands were included in the Le Havre Program upon Guesdè’s insistence. Their inclusion reflected a certain theoretical immaturity of the leadership of the Workers’ Party. Nevertheless, the adoption of the Le Havre Program was a big step forward in the development of the French labor movement.

REFERENCES

Guèsde, J., and P. Lafargue. Programma Rabochei partii, ee osnovaniia i kommentarii k net. Petrograd, 1917. (Translated from French.)
Marx, K. [“Pis’mo Zorge, 5 noiabria 1880 g.”] In K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 34.
Engels, F. [“Pis’ma E. Bernshteinu, 25 okt. i 30 noiab. 1881 g.”] In K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 35.
Bel kin, I. D. Zhiul’ Ged i bor’ba za rabochuiu partiiu vo Frantsii. Moscow, 1952. Pages 231-60.
Artem’eva, T. L. “Zashchita P. Lafargom programmy rabochei partii Frantsii v 1881-1882 godakh.” Nauchno-informatsionnyi biulleten’ sektora proizvedenii K. Marksa i F. Engel’sa, 1966, no. 15.

L. A. BENDRIKOVA