Andrei Zhdanov: Thus, in Italy, as in France, the communists overestimated the strength of reaction, became victims of imperialist intimidation and blackmail, underestimated their own strength, the strength of democracy, the will of the people to protect their fundamental national rights and interests of their country. This is all the more regrettable because both the French and Italian communist parties have shown their ability to rally broad masses of the working class, labouring peasantry and intelligentsia around the communist banner in difficult conditions of work. In view of the fact that the majority of the leaders of the socialist parties (especially the British labourites and the French socialists) are acting as agents of United States imperialist circles, upon the communists devolves the special historical task of leading the resistance to the American plan for the enthralment of Europe, and of boldly denouncing all coadjutors of American imperialism in their own countries. wordsmith.social/protestation/…