Western Communist Parties

People joined communist parties for all kinds of reasons. If you lived in a communist country, joining the communist party gave you a huge advantage. Others joined communist parties to oppose fascism, as in many countries communism was the only ideology strong enough to resist fascism, such as in Italy. Another factor was for social and economic reasons, although this could vary. Forty percent of the communists in France joined for social or economic reasons, while only seven percent of Italian communists joined for the same cause.