''Le Bilan'' (translation : ''The Balance Sheet'') is a 1980 song of the French singer
Jean Ferrat
Jean Ferrat (born Jean Tenenbaum; 26 December 1930 – 13 March 2010) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. He specialized in singing poetry, particularly that of Louis Aragon. He had a left-wing sympathy that found its way into a few songs.
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In this song, Jean Ferrat remembers communist commitments of his youth and the young people of his generation who, having participated in the social movements of the 1930s, the secret war during World War II and post-war years, have seen their ideals betrayed by the Stalinist Communists and their successors.
He denounces the repeated lies, rigged trials, misinformation, etc., of the Soviet government.
The title of the song derives from words of
Georges Marchais
Georges René Louis Marchais (7 June 1920 – 16 November 1997) was the head of the French Communist Party (PCF) from 1972 to 1994, and a candidate in the French presidential elections of 1981.
Early life
Born into a Roman Catholic family, he bec ...
on 23 April 1979. According to the leader of the French Communist Party, the balance of the Soviet Union was "generally positive", that denies Jean Ferrat.
See also
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Stalinism
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Slánský trial
The Slánský trial (officially English: "Trial of the Leadership of the Anti-State Conspiracy Centre Headed by Rudolf Slánský") was a 1952 antisemitic show trial against fourteen members of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), incl ...
External links
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Interview of Jean Ferrat, who made a comment about his songs, including this song
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilan
Jean Ferrat songs
Songs written by Jean Ferrat
French songs
1980 songs
Political songs