Communist Study Groups (in French: ''Groupes d'Etudes Communistes''), was a

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

group in colonial

French West Africa French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...

French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are ...

. GEC was founded in 1943, under the influence of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

. GEC formed branches in the capital cities of the West African territories. GEC was primarily based amongst intellectuals. It was led by Suret-Canale and Cauche. In the 1946 French legislative elections, GEC received 1180 votes (0.9%) in

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

. In

, GEC evolved into the

Senegalese Democratic Union Senegalese Democratic Union (in French: ''Union Démocratique Sénégalais'') was a political party in Senegal, founded in 1946 by the Communist Study Groups (GEC). UDS became affiliated as the Senegalese section of the African Democratic Rall ...

, section of the

African Democratic Rally African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

. In

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...

Modibo Keita Modibo or more correctlyMoodibbo in Fula or Fulfulde Orthography is a given name in some Fulɓe or Fulani regions, while in some regions it's used as a form of respect which means a learned scholar. Others are named moodibbo after one's parents or g ...

was a prominent member of GEC. GEC supported his candidacy in the elections to the Constituent Assembly of the Fourth Republic in 1945. In February 1946 the first GEC group was established in

, founded by Europeans in

Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...

.Bernault, Florence.
Démocraties ambiguës en Afrique centrale: Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, 1940-1965
'. Paris: Karthala, 1996. p. 171

References

* Gbagbo, Laurent. ''Côte d'Ivoire, Pour une alternative démocratique''. Paris: L'Harmattan, 1983. * Imperato, Pascal James. ''Mali: A Search for Direction''. Boulder: Westview Press, 1989. * Zuccarelli, François. ''La vie politique sénégalaise (1940-1988)''. Paris: CHEAM, 1988. Communist parties in Africa Political parties established in 1943 Political parties in French West Africa Defunct communist parties 1943 establishments in French West Africa 1943 establishments in French Equatorial Africa Political parties with year of disestablishment missing Rassemblement Démocratique Africain {{France-party-stub