Why did Jean-Paul Sartre initially admire the Soviet Union?

Following World War II, Jean-Paul Sartre’s political leanings shifted significantly toward the left, leading him to become an outspoken admirer of the Soviet Union.1

While he never joined the French Communist Party, his admiration was rooted in his belief that Marxism was the essential philosophy for the modern era. During the postwar period, Sartre concluded that his earlier focus on radical individual freedom was insufficient and that existentialism needed to engage with history. He sought to reconcile his existentialist doctrine of freedom with a Marxist philosophy of history, viewing the Soviet model as a potential vehicle for this synthesis.12

However, his support was not unconditional. His hopes for communism were shattered in 1956 following the Soviet military intervention in Hungary. He subsequently condemned the Soviet actions and the French Communist Party's subservience to Moscow, eventually developing a critical "Sartrian socialism" that emphasized the need for Marxism to respect individual freedom and concrete existential circumstances.1