The Socialist Party (french: Parti socialiste , PS) is a French
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
and
social-democratic
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
political party. It holds
pro-European
Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Polit ...
views.
The PS was for decades the largest party of the "
French Left
The Left in France (french: gauche française) was represented at the beginning of the 20th century by two main political parties, namely the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party and the French Section of the Workers' Internatio ...
" and used to be one of the two major political parties in the
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic (french: Cinquième République) is France's current republic, republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of France, Constitution of the Fifth Republic.. ...
, along with
The Republicans. It replaced the earlier
French Section of the Workers' International
The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was found ...
in 1969 and is currently led by First Secretary
Olivier Faure
Olivier Faure (French: livie fɔʁ born 18 August 1968) is a French politician who has served as the First Secretary of the Socialist Party since 2018 and Member of the National Assembly for Seine-et-Marne's 11th constituency since 2012. He ...
. The PS is a member of the
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a social democratic and progressive European political party.
The PES comprises national-level political parties from all member states of the European Union (EU) plus Norway and the United Kingdom ...
,
Progressive Alliance
The Progressive Alliance (PA) is a political international of social democratic and progressive political parties and organisations founded on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig, Germany. The alliance was formed as an alternative to the existing Social ...
and
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
.
The PS first won power in 1981, when its candidate
François Mitterrand
François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
was elected
president of France
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
in the
1981 presidential election. Under Mitterrand, the party achieved a governing majority in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
from 1981 to 1986 and again from 1988 to 1993. PS leader
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
lost his bid to succeed Mitterrand as president in the
1995 presidential election against
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic (french: Rassemblement pour la République ; RPR ), was a Gaullist and conservative political party in France. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR), it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 a ...
leader
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
, but he became
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
in a
cohabitation government after the
1997 legislative election, a position Jospin held until 2002, when he was again defeated in the
2002 presidential election.
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election.
Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 2014 ...
, the party's candidate for the
2007 presidential election
This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not i ...
, was defeated by conservative UMP candidate
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
. The PS won most of regional and local elections and for the first time in more than fifty years it won control of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in the
2011 Senate election. On 6 May 2012,
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
, the first secretary of the party from 1997 to 2008, was elected president and the next month the party won a majority in the
2012 legislative election. During his term, Hollande battled with high unemployment, poor opinion ratings and a splinter group of left-wing Socialist MPs known as ''frondeurs'' (rebels). On 1 December 2016, Hollande declined to seek re-election and the PS subsequently organized a
presidential primary
The presidential primary elections and caucuses held in the various U.S. state, states, the Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, and territories of the United States form part of the nominating process of candidates for United States preside ...
. Left-wing
Benoit Hamon was designated as the Socialist candidate after defeating former Prime Minister
Manuel Valls
Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti (, , ; born 13 August 1962) is a French-Spanish politician who has served as a Barcelona city councillor from 2019 to 2021. He served as Prime Minister of France from 2014 until 2016 under president François Hol ...
. Facing the emergence of centrist
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
and left-winger
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Antoine Pierre Mélenchon (; born 19 August 1951) is a French politician who was a member of the National Assembly for the 4th constituency of Bouches-du-Rhône from 2017 to 2022. He led the ''La France Insoumise'' group in the Nation ...
, Hamon failed to re-establish the PS leadership on the centre-left and finished 5th in the
2017 presidential election, gathering only 6.36 percent of the votes. The party then
lost the majority of its MPs in the
2017 legislative election, securing just 26 seats, becoming the fourth-biggest group in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
.
Several figures who acted at the international level have also been members of the PS, including
Jacques Delors
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (born 20 July 1925) is a French politician who served as the 8th President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. He served as Minister of Finance of France from 1981 to 1984. He was a Member of the European Par ...
, who was the
president of the European Commission
The president of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU). The President of the Commission leads a Cabinet of Commissioners, referred to as the College, collectively account ...
from 1985 to 1994 and the first person to serve three terms in that office;
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist P ...
, who was the
managing director
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
from 2007 to 2011; and
Pascal Lamy
Pascal Lamy (born 8 April 1947) is a French political consultant and businessman. He was the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 1 September 2005 to 1 September 2013 for 8 years. In April 2009, WTO members reappointed Lamy ...
, who was
Director-General
A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals''
) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a government ...
of the
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
from 2005 to 2013. Party membership has declined precipitously, standing at 22,000 members in 2021,
down from 42,300 in 2016,
60,000 in 2014
and 173,486 members in 2012.
History
French socialist movement and the SFIO
The defeat of the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
(1871) greatly reduced the power and influence of the socialist movements in France. Its leaders were killed or exiled. France's first socialist party, the
Federation of the Socialist Workers of France
The Federation of the Socialist Workers of France (french: Fédération des travailleurs socialistes de France, FTSF) was France's first socialist party, being founded in 1879.
The party was characterised as possibilist because it promoted gradu ...
, was founded in 1879. It was characterised as "possibilist" because it promoted
gradual reforms. Two parties split off from it: in 1882, the
French Workers' Party
The French Workers' Party (french: Parti Ouvrier Français, POF) was the French socialist party created in 1880 by Jules Guesde and Paul Lafargue, Karl Marx's son-in-law (famous for having written '' The Right to Be Lazy'', which criticized work ...
of
Jules Guesde
Jules Bazile, known as Jules Guesde (; 11 November 1845 – 28 July 1922) was a French socialist journalist and politician.
Guesde was the inspiration for a famous quotation by Karl Marx. Shortly before Marx died in 1883, he wrote a letter ...
and
Paul Lafargue
Paul Lafargue (; 15 January 1842 – 25 November 1911) was a Cuban- Haitian revolutionary Marxist socialist, political writer, economist, journalist, literary critic, and activist; he was Karl Marx's son-in-law having married his second dau ...
(the son-in-law of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
), then in 1890 the
Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party of
Jean Allemane
Jean Allemane (25 August 1843, Sauveterre-de-Comminges, Haute-Garonne – 6 June 1935, Herblay in Seine-et-Oise) was a French socialist politician, veteran of the Paris Commune of 1871, pioneer of syndicalism, leader of the Socialist-Revolutio ...
. At the same time, the heirs of
Louis Auguste Blanqui
Louis Auguste Blanqui (; 8 February 1805 – 1 January 1881) was a French socialist and political activist, notable for his revolutionary theory of Blanquism.
Biography Early life, political activity and first imprisonment (1805–1848)
Bla ...
, a symbol of the French revolutionary tradition, created the
Central Revolutionary Committee
The Central Revolutionary Committee (french: Comité révolutionnaire central, CRC) was a French Blanquist political party founded in 1881 and dissolved in 1898.
The CRC was founded by Édouard Vaillant to continue the political struggle of August ...
led by
Édouard Vaillant
Marie Édouard Vaillant (26 January 1840 – 18 December 1915) was a French politician.
Born in Vierzon, Cher, son of a lawyer, Édouard Vaillant studied engineering at the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, graduating in 1862, and then law ...
. There were also some declared socialist deputies such as
Alexandre Millerand
Alexandre Millerand (; – ) was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 20 January to 23 September 1920 and President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924. His participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the sta ...
and
Jean Jaurès
Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès (3 September 185931 July 1914), commonly referred to as Jean Jaurès (; oc, Joan Jaurés ), was a French Socialist leader. Initially a Moderate Republican, he later became one of the first social demo ...
who did not belong to any party.
In 1899, the participation of Millerand in
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau
Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served as the Prime Minister of France.
Early life
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His father, René Wal ...
's cabinet caused a debate about socialist participation in a "bourgeois government". Three years later, Jaurès, Allemane and the possibilists founded the possibilist
French Socialist Party
The Socialist Party (french: Parti socialiste , PS) is a French centre-left and social-democratic political party. It holds pro-European views.
The PS was for decades the largest party of the "French Left" and used to be one of the two major p ...
, which supported participation in government, while Guesde and Vaillant formed the
Socialist Party of France
The Socialist Party (french: Parti socialiste , PS) is a French centre-left and social-democratic political party. It holds pro-European views.
The PS was for decades the largest party of the "French Left" and used to be one of the two major po ...
, which opposed such co-operation. In 1905, during the
Globe Congress, the two groups merged in the
French Section of the Workers International
The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was found ...
(SFIO). Leader of the parliamentary group and director of the party paper ''
L'Humanité
''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist."
History and profile
Pre-World Wa ...
'', Jaurès was its most influential figure.
The party was hemmed in between the
middle-class liberals of the
Radical Party and the revolutionary
syndicalists
Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of prod ...
who dominated the trade unions. Furthermore, the goal to rally all the Socialists in one single party was partially reached: some elects refused to join the SFIO and created the
Republican-Socialist Party
The Republican-Socialist Party (french: Parti républicain-socialiste, PRS) was a French socialist political party during the French Third Republic founded in 1911 and dissolved in 1934.
Founded by non-Marxist socialists who refused to join the ...
, which supported socialist participation in liberal governments. Together with the Radicals, who wished to install
laicism
Laicism refers to the policies and principles where the state plays a more active role in excluding religious visibility from the public domain.
Secularism in France has been described to be laicist in its form.
See also
* Laicization
* Secularis ...
, the SFIO was a component of the Left Block (''
Bloc des gauches
The Lefts Bloc (french: Bloc des gauches, ) was a coalition of Republican political forces created during the French Third Republic in 1899 to contest the 1902 legislative elections. It initially supported Emile Combes's cabinet (June 1902-Ja ...
'') without to sit in the government. In 1906, the
General Confederation of Labour trade union claimed its independence from all political parties.
The French socialists were strongly anti-war, but following the assassination of Jaurès in 1914 they were unable to resist the wave of militarism which followed the outbreak of World War I. They suffered a severe split over participation in the wartime government of national unity. In 1919 the anti-war socialists were heavily defeated in elections. In 1920, during the
Tours Congress
The Tours Congress was the 18th National Congress of the French Section of the Workers' International, or SFIO, which took place in Tours on 25–30 December 1920. During the Congress, the majority voted to join the Third International and create t ...
, the majority and left wing of the party broke away and formed the
French Section of the Communist International
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 ...
to join the
Third International
The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by a ...
founded by
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
. The right wing, led by
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum (; 9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French socialist politician and three-time Prime Minister.
As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of French Socialist le ...
, kept the "old house" and remained in the SFIO.
In 1924 and in 1932, the Socialists joined with the Radicals in the Coalition of the Left (''
Cartel des Gauches
The Cartel of the Left (french: Cartel des gauches, ) was the name of the governmental alliance between the Radical-Socialist Party, the socialist French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), and other smaller left-republican parties that ...
''), but refused to join the non-Socialist governments led by the Radicals
Édouard Herriot
Édouard Marie Herriot (; 5 July 1872 – 26 March 1957) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic who served three times as Prime Minister (1924–1925; 1926; 1932) and twice as President of the Chamber of Deputies. He led the ...
and
Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, and the Prime Minister of France who signed the Munich Agreement before the outbreak of World War II.
Daladier was born in Carpentr ...
. These governments failed because the Socialists and the Radicals could not agree on economic policy, and also because the Communists, following the
policy
Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organ ...
laid down by the Soviet Union, refused to support governments presiding over capitalist economies. The question of the possibility of a government participation with Radicals caused the split of "neosocialists" at the beginning of the 1930s. They merged with the
Republican-Socialist Party
The Republican-Socialist Party (french: Parti républicain-socialiste, PRS) was a French socialist political party during the French Third Republic founded in 1911 and dissolved in 1934.
Founded by non-Marxist socialists who refused to join the ...
in the
Socialist Republican Union
The Socialist Republican Union (french: Union socialiste républicaine, USR) was a political party in France founded in 1935 during the late Third Republic which united the right-wing of the French Section of the Workers' International with the ...
.
In 1934, the Communists changed their line, and the four left-wing parties came together in the
Popular Front
A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault".
More generally, it is "a coalition ...
, which won the 1936 elections and brought Blum to power as France's first SFIO Prime Minister. Indeed, for the first time in its history, the SFIO obtained more votes and seats than the Radical Party and it formed the central axis of a left-wing parliamentary majority. Within a year, however, his government collapsed over economic policy and also over the issue of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
. The fall of the Popular Front caused a new split from the SFIO, with the departure of the left wing of the party, led by
Marceau Pivert
Marceau Pivert (2 October 1895, Montmachoux, Seine-et-Marne – 3 June 1958, Paris) was a French schoolteacher, trade unionist, socialist militant, and journalist. He was an alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud.
SFIO
Acti ...
, to the
Workers and Peasants' Socialist Party
The Workers and Peasants' Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste ouvrier et paysan'', ''PSOP'') was an ephemeral socialist organisation in France, formed on June 8, 1938 by Marceau Pivert. Its youth wing was the ''Workers and Peasants' Socialist Yout ...
. The demoralised Left fell apart and was unable to resist the collapse of the
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...
after the military defeat of 1940.
After the liberation of France in 1944, the SFIO re-emerged in a coalition with a powerful
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 ...
(PCF), which became the largest left-wing party, and the
Christian democratic
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
Popular Republican Movement
The Popular Republican Movement (french: Mouvement Républicain Populaire, MRP) was a Christian-democratic political party in France during the Fourth Republic. Its base was the Catholic vote and its leaders included Georges Bidault, Robert Sc ...
(MRP). This alliance installed the main elements of the French
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...
and the
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic (french: Quatrième république française) was the Republicanism, republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of ...
, but it did not survive the Cold War. In May 1947, the Socialist Prime Minister
Paul Ramadier
Paul Ramadier (17 March 1888 in La Rochelle – 14 October 1961 in Rodez) was a French statesman.
Biography
The son of a psychiatrist, Ramadier graduated in law from the University of Toulouse and started his profession as a lawyer in Paris ...
dismissed the Communist ministers. Blum proposed the construction of a
Third Force with the centre-left and the centre-right, against the Gaullists and the Communists. However, his candidate to lead of the SFIO,
Daniel Mayer
Daniel Raphaël Mayer (29 April 1909 – 29 December 1996) was a French politician and a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and president of the ''Ligue des droits de l'homme'' (LDH, Human Rights League) from 1958 ...
, was defeated by
Guy Mollet
Guy Alcide Mollet (; 31 December 1905 – 3 October 1975) was a French politician. He led the socialist French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) from 1946 to 1969 and was the French Prime Minister from 1956 to 1957.
As Prime Minister ...
.
Mollet was supported by the left wing of the party. Paradoxically, he spoke a
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
language without questioning the alliance with the centre and the centre-right. His leadership was shaken when the party divided in 1954 about the
European Defence Community
The Treaty establishing the European Defence Community, also known as the Treaty of Paris, is an unratified treaty signed on 27 May 1952 by the Inner Six, six 'inner' countries of European integration: the Benelux countries, France, Italy, and We ...
(the half of the SFIO parliamentary group voted "no", against the instructions of the party lead, participating to the failure of the project). But later, Mollet got involved the SFIO in the build of a centre-left coalition, the
Republican Front, which won a plurality in the
1956 elections. Consequently, he was Prime Minister at the head of a minority government. But the party was in decline, as were the Radicals, and the left never came close to forming a united front. Indeed, this led Mollet to assert, "the Communist Party is not on the left, but in the East". The repressive policy of Mollet in the
Algerian War
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
and his support for
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
's come-back in 1958 (the party lead called to vote "yes" in referendum on
Fifth Republic's constitution) caused a split and the foundation of the dissident
Unified Socialist Party (PSU). The SFIO returned to opposition in 1959. Discredited by its fluctuating policy during the Fourth Republic, it reached its lowest ebb in the 1960s.
Both because of its opposition to the principle of presidential election by
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
and because De Gaulle's re-election appeared inevitable, the SFIO did not nominate a candidate for the
1965 presidential election. Consequently, it supported the candidacy of
François Mitterrand
François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
, a former minister of the Fourth Republic who had been a conservative, then a leftist independent. He was resolutely anti-Gaullist. Supported by all the left-wing parties, he obtained a good result and faced De Gaulle in an unexpected second ballot, becoming the leader of the non-Communist left.
In order to exist between the Communist Party, leading the left, and the
Gaullist Party
In France, the term Gaullist Party is usually used to refer to the largest party professing to be Gaullist. Gaullism claims to transcend the left–right divide in a similar way to populist republican parties elsewhere such as Fianna Fáil in Rep ...
, leading the country, the SFIO, Radicals, and left-wing republican groups created the
Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left
The Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left (''Fédération de la gauche démocrate et socialiste'' or FGDS) was a conglomerate of French left-wing non-Communist forces. It was founded to support François Mitterrand's candidature at the ...
under Mitterrand's leadership. But unable to benefit from the
May 1968
The following events occurred in May 1968:
May 1, 1968 (Wednesday)
*CARIFTA, the Caribbean Free Trade Association, was formally created as an agreement between Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.
*RAF Strike Co ...
events, it imploded after its disastrous defeat at the
June 1968 legislative elections. One year later, the SFIO candidate
Gaston Defferre
Gaston Defferre (14 September 1910 – 7 May 1986) was a French Socialist politician. He served as mayor of Marseille for 33 years until his death in 1986. He was minister for overseas territories in Guy Mollet’s socialist government in 1956 ...
was eliminated in the first round of the
1969 presidential election, with only 5% of votes.
Foundation of the PS and the Union of the Left (1969–1981)
In 1969, during the
Alfortville Congress
The Alfortville Congress was the founding national congress of the French Socialist Party. It took place on 4 May 1969. The old French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) expanded to include Alain Savary's Union of Clubs for the Renewal o ...
, the SFIO was replaced by the Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS). It was joined by pro-
Pierre Mendès-France
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
clubs (
Union of Clubs for the Renewal of the Left
The Union of Clubs for the Renewal of the Left (french: Union des clubs pour le renouveau de la gauche, UCRG) was a socialist club in France led by Alain Savary.
The UCRG included clubs led by Alain Savary and Pierre Bérégovoy. The UCRG joined t ...
led by
Alain Savary
Alain Savary (25 April 191817 February 1988) was a French Socialist politician, deputy to the National Assembly of France during the Fourth and Fifth Republic, chairman of the Socialist Party (PS) and a government minister in the 1950s and i ...
) and left-wing republican groups (
Union of Socialist Groups and Clubs
The Union of Socialist Groups and Clubs (french: Union des groupes et clubs socialistes, UGCS) was a socialist club in France led by Jean Poperen after he was expelled from the Unified Socialist Party. The UGCS joined the Federation of the Democr ...
of
Jean Poperen
Jean Poperen (9 January 1925 in Angers – 23 August 1997) was a French politician.
Poperen joined the Communist Party (PCF) at 18, and was also a member of the Union of Communist Students. He left the PCF after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 ...
). During the Issy-les-Moulineaux Congress, Alain Savary was elected First Secretary with the support of his predecessor Guy Mollet. He proposed an "ideological dialogue" with the Communists.
Two years later, during the
Epinay Congress
The Epinay Congress was the third national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS), which took place on 11, 12 and 13 June 1971, in the town of Épinay-sur-Seine, in the northern suburbs of Paris. During this congress, n ...
, pro-François Mitterrand clubs (
Convention of Republican Institutions
The Convention of Republican Institutions (french: Convention des institutions républicaines, CIR) was a socialist and republican party in France led by François Mitterrand. The CIR, founded in early June 1964, transformed from a loosely organ ...
), joined the party. Mitterrand defeated the Savary-Mollet duo by proposing an electoral programme with the Communists and took the lead. A new emblem, the
fist and rose
The fist and rose, sometimes called the rose in the fist, is an emblem used or formerly used by a number of socialist and social democratic parties around the world.
It depicts a rose, symbolizing the promises of better life under a socialist g ...
, was adopted to signal change in 1971. In 1972, the ''
Common Programme'' was signed with the PCF and
Radical Party of the Left
The Radical Party of the Left (french: Parti radical de gauche, PRG) is a social-liberal political party in France. A party in the Radical tradition, since 1972 the PRG was a close ally of the major party of the centre-left in France, the Socia ...
. During the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
conference, he explained the alliance of left-wing parties is a yearning of French left-wing voters. In this, the goal of his strategy was "to regain 3 million of the 5 million of PCF voters". The left, and notably the Socialist Party, experienced an electoral recovery at the
1973 legislative election. Mitterrand, the candidate of the left-wing alliance, came close to winning the
1974 presidential election. Indeed, he obtained 49.2% of votes in the second round.
At the end of 1974, some PSU members, including leader
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...
, re-joined the PS. They represented the "left-wing Christian" and non-Marxist group. The most conservative members of the PS, they advocated an alignment of French socialism along the lines of European
social democracy
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
, that is, a clear acceptance of the
market economy
A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...
. While the "Union of the Left" triumphed at the 1977 municipal election, the electoral rise of the PS worried the Communist Party. The two parties failed to update the ''Common Programme'' and the PCF leader
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 ...
denounced a "turn towards the Right" of the PS.
In spite of positive polls, the "Union of the Left" lost the
1978 legislative election. For the first time since
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
, the Socialists scored better in the polls than the Communists, becoming the main left-wing party, but their defeat caused an internal crisis. Mitterrand's leadership was challenged by Rocard, who wanted to abandon the ''Common Programme'' which he considered archaic and unrealistic. Mitterrand felt that the left could not win without the alliance between the Socialists and the Communists. In 1979, Mitterrand won the
Metz Congress
The Metz Congress was the seventh national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS) which took place on 6, 7 and 8 April 1979. The debate was influenced by the failure to update the ''Common Programme'' with the French C ...
, then, despite Rocard's popularity, was chosen as PS candidate for the
1981 presidential election.
Three major tendencies or factions emerged within the PS by the end of the Seventies. One was represented by the Mitterrandists who wanted reform but not a complete break with capitalism. A second faction was led by
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...
and his supporters, who sought social democracy with a strong measure of autogestion, while a third faction formed around
and the CERES group which stood for revolutionary socialism.
Mitterrand's presidency and the exercise of power (1981–1995)
In 1981 Mitterrand
defeated
Defeated may refer to:
*Defeated (Breaking Benjamin song), "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song)
*Defeated (Anastacia song), "Defeated" (Anastacia song)
*"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love''
*Defeated, Tennessee, an unin ...
the incumbent conservative,
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981.
After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...
, to become the first socialist of the
Fifth Republic to be elected
President of France
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
by universal suffrage. He dissolved the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
and, for the first time in their history, the French Socialists won an absolute majority of the seats. This landslide victory for the Socialists took place to the detriment of the right-wing parliamentary parties (
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic (french: Rassemblement pour la République ; RPR ), was a Gaullist and conservative political party in France. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR), it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 a ...
and
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy (french: Union pour la démocratie française, UDF) was a centre to centre-right political party in France. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to c ...
), as well as the Communist Party.
Mitterrand attempted to carry out socialist-inspired reforms (the
110 Propositions), furthering the ''
dirigiste
Dirigisme or dirigism () is an economic doctrine in which the state plays a strong directive (policies) role contrary to a merely regulatory interventionist role over a market economy. As an economic doctrine, dirigisme is the opposite of ''lai ...
''
economic planning
Economic planning is a resource allocation mechanism based on a computational procedure for solving a constrained maximization problem with an iterative process for obtaining its solution. Planning is a mechanism for the allocation of resources b ...
trends of the preceding conservative governments. The Prime Minister
Pierre Mauroy
Pierre Mauroy (; 5 July 1928 – 7 June 2013) was a French Socialist politician who was Prime Minister of France from 1981 to 1984 under President François Mitterrand. Mauroy also served as Mayor of Lille from 1973 to 2001. At the time of his de ...
nationalised
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
the banks, the insurance industry and the defence industries, in accordance with the 1972 ''
Common Program''. Workers' wages were increased and working hours reduced to 39, and many other sweeping reforms carried out, but the economic crisis continued. Reforms included the
abolition of death penalty, creation of a
solidarity tax on wealth The solidarity tax on wealth (french: Impôt de solidarité sur la fortune or ISF) was an annual direct wealth tax on those in France having assets in excess of €1,300,000 (since 2011). (ISF), introduction of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
in legislative elections (which was applied only at the
1986 election),
decentralization
Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group.
Conce ...
of the state (1982–83 laws), repeal of price liberalization for books (
Lang Law Lang Law is the informal name given to French law number 81-766, from 10 August 1981, which establishes a fixed price for books sold in France and limits price discounts on them. The law is named after Jack Lang, the French Minister of Culture res ...
of 1981), etc.
As early as 1982, Mitterrand faced a clear choice between maintaining France's membership in the
European Monetary System
The European Monetary System (EMS) was a multilateral adjustable exchange rate agreement in which most of the nations of the European Economic Community (EEC) linked their currencies to prevent large fluctuations in relative value. It was initiate ...
, and thus the country's commitment to
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...
, and pursuing his socialist reforms. He chose the former, starting the Socialist Party's acceptance of the private market economy. In 1984 Mitterrand and his second Prime Minister,
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Marc ...
, clearly abandoned any further socialist measures. The "Union of the Left" died and the Communist ministers resigned. Although there were two periods of mild economic reflation (first from 1984 to 1986 and again from 1988 to 1990), monetary and fiscal restraint was the essential policy orientation of the Mitterrand presidency from 1983 onwards.
The PS lost its majority in the French National Assembly in 1986, forcing Mitterrand to "cohabit" with the conservative government of
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
. Nevertheless, Mitterrand was re-elected President in 1988 with a moderate programme entitled "United France". He proposed neither nationalisations nor
privatisation
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
s. He chose as Prime Minister the most popular and moderate of the Socialist politicians, Michel Rocard. His cabinet included four centre-right ministers but it was supported by only a plurality in the National Assembly elected in
June 1988.
During his second term, Mitterrand focused on foreign policy and European integration. He convened a referendum for the ratification of the
Maastricht Treaty
The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the ...
. He left domestic policy to his prime ministers: Michel Rocard,
Édith Cresson
Édith Cresson (; née Campion; born 27 January 1934) is a French politician from the Socialist Party. She served as Prime Minister of France from 1991 to 1992, the first woman to do so. She was the only woman to be prime minister until 2022, whe ...
and
Pierre Bérégovoy
Pierre Eugène Bérégovoy (; 23 December 1925 – 1 May 1993) was a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under President François Mitterrand from 2 April 1992 to 29 March 1993. He was a member of the Socialist Party and M ...
. The party was hit by scandals about its financing and weakened by the struggle between the heirs of "''Mitterrandism''".
In 1990, during the
Rennes Congress
The Rennes Congress was the thirteenth national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS). It took place from 15 to 18 March 1990.
In 1988, François Mitterrand was re-elected President of France but the PS obtained only ...
, the "''Mitterrandist'' group" split between the supporters of
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Marc ...
and the friends of
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
. Furthermore, a part of the left wing of the party, led by
split off due to his opposition to the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
and the Maastricht Treaty. This section created the
Citizen and Republican Movement
The Citizen and Republican Movement (French language, French: ''Mouvement républicain et citoyen'') is a political party in France. The party replaced in 2002 the Citizens' Movement (''Mouvement des citoyens'', MDC) founded by Jean-Pierre Chev ...
(MDC). Finally, many on the left were disappointed by the results of the Socialist governments. At the
1993 legislative election, the PS did poorly, returning to the levels of the SFIO in the 1960s. The Socialist group of the National Assembly numbered 53 deputies against 260 during the previous term.
Rocard became First Secretary of the party, and was considered the "natural candidate" for the next presidential election. He called for a political "big bang", an agreement with the centre and the centre-right, but his efforts were in vain. One year later, his party obtained only 14% of votes at the
1994 European Parliament election
The 1994 European Parliamentary election was a European election held across the 12 European Union member states in June 1994.
This election saw the merge of the European People's Party and European Democrats, an increase in the overall number ...
. He was overthrown by a motley coalition led by
Henri Emmanuelli
Henri Emmanuelli (31 May 1945 – 21 March 2017) was a French politician. A member of the French Socialist Party, he was deputy for Landes from 1978 to 1981, from 1986 to 1997, and from 2000 to 2017.
Early life and career
Emmanuelli was born ...
, a "Mitterrandist" left-winger. One year before the
1995 presidential election, the PS was affected by a leadership crisis. Rocard lost the most part of his followers after his 1994 electoral crash, Fabius was weakened by the
infected blood scandal, the presidentiability of Emannuelli was questioned. The hope of some party members transferred to
Jacques Delors
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (born 20 July 1925) is a French politician who served as the 8th President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. He served as Minister of Finance of France from 1981 to 1984. He was a Member of the European Par ...
, president of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
and a favourite according to the polls, but he declined due to the radicalisation of the party which prevented his
centrist
Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...
strategy. Finally,
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
, who had announced his political retirement after the loss of his parliamentary seat in 1993, came back and proposed to "take stock" of Mitterrand's inheritance. For the first time, the party members were called to nominate their candidate for presidency. Benefiting from a good image in the polls, a strong loyalty to the party (as former First Secretary) and governmental experience (as former Education Minister, and the teachers were numerous and influential in the PS), he defeated Emmanuelli in the internal ballot. Then, he was defeated by
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
in the run-off election but, given the PS crisis, his result was judged good and he returned as First Secretary.
Jospin and the Plural Left (1995–2002)
In the legislature, the PS reconstructed a coalition with other left-wing parties: 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 ...
, the
Greens, the
Radical Party of the Left
The Radical Party of the Left (french: Parti radical de gauche, PRG) is a social-liberal political party in France. A party in the Radical tradition, since 1972 the PRG was a close ally of the major party of the centre-left in France, the Socia ...
, and the MDC. This "
Plural Left
The Gauche Plurielle (French for ''Plural Left'') was a left-wing coalition in France, composed of the Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS), the French Communist Party (''Parti communiste français'' or PCF), the Greens, the Left Radi ...
" won the
1997 legislative election and Jospin became Prime Minister of the third "
cohabitation
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become increas ...
".
His policy was broadly progressive. The
Aubry laws
Aubry is a French surname and given name. Notable people with the name include
* Aubry or Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (died c. 1252), medieval Cistercian chronicler who wrote in Latin
* Alan Aubry (born 1974), French photographer
* Augusto Aubry ( ...
reduced the working time to 35 hours a week, while
Universal medical insurance was instituted. However, the policy of privatisation was pursued.
His coalition dissolved when the MDC leader
resigned from the Cabinet. The Green and Communist allies were weakened by their governmental participation.
The
2002 presidential election was focused on the theme of insecurity. Jospin, again the Socialists' candidate, was eliminated in the first round due to there being too many left-wing candidates who split the vote. He announced his retirement from politics, and the PS called on its supporters to vote for Chirac in order to defeat the
far-right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
National Front leader
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015.
Le Pen graduated fro ...
, who had surprisingly advanced to the run-off. Two months later, the "Plural Left" lost the
2002 legislative election.
After the 2002 shock
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
, who became First Secretary in 1997, was re-elected in 2003 during the
Dijon Congress
The Dijon Congress was the twentieth national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS). It took place from May 16 to 18, 2003.
The objective of the Congress was to start the reconstruction of the weakened party after it ...
with the support of the main Socialist personalities, against the left wing of the party. In the
2004 regional elections, the Socialists had a major comeback. In coalition with the former "Plural Left", they gained power in 20 of the 22 metropolitan regions (all except
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
and
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
) and in the four overseas regions. The party benefited from increasing frustration with right-wing parties. However, the Socialist Party has experienced considerable difficulty in formulating an alternative to right-wing policy.
On 1 December 2004, 59% of Socialist Party members approved the proposed
European Constitution
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European U ...
. However, several well-known members of the Party, including
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Marc ...
, and left-wingers
Henri Emmanuelli
Henri Emmanuelli (31 May 1945 – 21 March 2017) was a French politician. A member of the French Socialist Party, he was deputy for Landes from 1978 to 1981, from 1986 to 1997, and from 2000 to 2017.
Early life and career
Emmanuelli was born ...
and
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Antoine Pierre Mélenchon (; born 19 August 1951) is a French politician who was a member of the National Assembly for the 4th constituency of Bouches-du-Rhône from 2017 to 2022. He led the ''La France Insoumise'' group in the Nation ...
, asked the public for a "no" vote in the 29 May 2005
French referendum on the European Constitution
The French referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held on 29 May 2005 to decide whether France should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union. The result was a victory for the "No" campaign, with 55% ...
, where the proposed Constitution was rejected. Fabius was ejected from the executive office of the party. The split over the European Constitution, as well as party leaders' competing ambitions to win the presidential nomination in 2007, led the party into considerable disarray.
In November 2005, during the
Le Mans Congress
The Le Mans Congress was the twenty-first national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS). It took place from November 18 to 20, 2005.
The objective of the Congress was to solve internal divisions created by the Frenc ...
, three main groups were present. The majority supported a moderate text and obtained 55%. Fabius's allies ("To Rally the Left") advocated more radical policies and gained 20%. Finally, another faction ("New Socialist Party") claimed it was necessary to renovate the party by proposing left-wing policies and a profound reform of French institutions. It obtained 25% of the vote. Virtually all factions agreed on a common agenda, broadly based on the moderate and pro-European majority's position with some left-wing amendments.
2007 presidential election and its aftermath
![Meeting Royal 2007 02 06 n1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Meeting_Royal_2007_02_06_n1.jpg)
Many potential candidates appeared for the
2007 presidential election
This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not i ...
:
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
,
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Marc ...
(from the left wing of the party),
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist P ...
(who claimed to represent "social democracy"),
Jack Lang,
Martine Aubry
Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor of Lille (No ...
and
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election.
Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 2014 ...
, who was favoured according to the polls. Some Socialist leaders asked Jospin to return. He declared he was "available" then finally refused.
On 16 November 2006, the members of the Socialist Party chose Ségolène Royal to be their candidate with a majority of 60%. Her challengers, Strauss-Kahn and Fabius, obtained 21% and 19% respectively.
After obtaining 25.87% of the vote in the first round of France's presidential elections, Royal qualified for the second round of voting but lost with 46.94% to
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
on 6 May 2007. Immediately after her defeat several party bosses (notably Strauss-Kahn), held Ségolène Royal personally responsible for the unsuccessful campaign. At the same time, some personalities of the right wing of the party (such as
Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs ...
) accepted to join the government nominated by Nicolas Sarkozy.
In the 10 and 17 June
2007 National Assembly elections, the Socialist Party won 186 out of 577 seats, and about 10 affiliated, gain of 40 seats.
After the winning March 2008 municipal election, the campaign with a view to the
Reims Congress
The Reims Congress was the twenty-second national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS), taking place from 14 to 16 November 2008 in the city of Reims in the Marne.
Incumbent First Secretary François Hollande announ ...
started. Some candidates proposed to succeed
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
, who had announced he will not compete for another term as First Secretary:
* Ségolène Royal who wished to forge an alliance with the centrist party
MoDem
A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...
;
* the Mayor of Paris
Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand Delanoë (; born 30 May 1950) is a French retired politician who served as Mayor of Paris from 2001 to 2014. A member of the Socialist Party (PS), he previously served in the National Assembly from 1981 to 1986 and Senate from 1995 unti ...
, supported by
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
and his friends, who wished to keep the status quo of the 2007 campaign and come back to the
Plural Left
The Gauche Plurielle (French for ''Plural Left'') was a left-wing coalition in France, composed of the Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS), the French Communist Party (''Parti communiste français'' or PCF), the Greens, the Left Radi ...
;
*
Martine Aubry
Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor of Lille (No ...
, supported by the followers of
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Marc ...
and
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist P ...
, who had the same electoral strategy as the Mayor of Paris but advocated reconciliation between the campaigners of the "yes" and the "no" to the European constitution; and
* the young left-winger
Benoît Hamon
Benoît Hamon (; born 26 June 1967) is a French politician known for his former role within the Socialist Party (PS) and Party of European Socialists (PES) and his political party Génération.s.
Hamon joined the Socialist Party in 1988 and ...
.
In the pre-vote, the text of Royal arrived the first with 29%, followed by Delanoë (25%), Aubry (25%) and Hamon (19%). A part of the left wing split and founded the
Left Party. During the
Reims Congress
The Reims Congress was the twenty-second national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS), taking place from 14 to 16 November 2008 in the city of Reims in the Marne.
Incumbent First Secretary François Hollande announ ...
, which happened in a very tense climate, the leaders of the factions failed to form a majority. Consequently, the PS members had to elect directly the next First Secretary. Disappointed by his result in the pre-vote, Delanoë renounced and called to vote for Aubry.
On 22 November 2008 it was announced that Aubry had defeated Royal by the narrow margin of 42 votes, and Royal asked for a recount. After checking,
Martine Aubry
Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor of Lille (No ...
was elected by a margin of 102 votes and 50.03% of votes. Denouncing frauds, Royal's team threatened to lodge a complaint before to renounce.
After that, the public image of the party was deteriorated. In the
2009 European Parliament election
The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making th ...
, the PS did not succeed to benefit from the unpopularity of President Sarkozy. It obtained only 16.5% of the vote and only just got ahead of
Europe Ecology
Europe Ecology (french: Europe Écologie) was a green electoral coalition of political parties in France created for the 2009 European elections composed of The Greens and other ecologists and regionalists. For the European Parliament election ...
(16.3%). However, the PS strengthened its network of local elects in winning comfortably the 2010 departmental and regional elections. In September 2011, for the first time a Socialist,
Jean-Pierre Bel
Jean-Pierre Bel (born 30 December 1951) is a French retired politician who served as President of the Senate from 2011 to 2014. From the Ariège department, Bel is a member of the Socialist Party; he was elected to the Senate in September 1998 a ...
, was elected Chairman of the
Senate of France
The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly, the two houses constituting the legislature of France. The French Senate is made up of 348 senators (''sénateurs'' a ...
.
2012 presidential election
Candidates for the presidency of France contested an open primary on 9 October 2011 to select the Socialist Party candidate for the
2012 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*3–4 January: E ...
. The nominations for the candidacy were opened on 28 June. Though he had not officially declared his candidacy,
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist P ...
, a prominent member of the Socialist Party and the managing director of the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
was the polls' clear favorite to defeat the incumbent conservative president, Nicolas Sarkozy. But he faced a
sex assault complaint in New York and was ''de facto'' eliminated from the primary.
Eventually, former party leader
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
won the primary and ran as the official Socialist Party candidate for President of France. He narrowly defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, becoming president-elect of France on Sunday 6 May 2012.
The idea for holding an open primary to choose the Socialist Party presidential candidate had first been suggested in 2008, by the independent left-leaning think tank
Terra Nova.
2017 presidential election
![Solférino PS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Solf%C3%A9rino_PS.jpg)
The Socialist Party decided to hold a presidential primary in 2017, against the backdrop of the unprecedented unpopularity of incumbent
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
, with a 4 percent approval rating, who announced on 1 December 2016 that he would not seek re-election, making him the first president of the
Fifth Republic not to seek a second term. It was also set against the fragmentation of the left between three major candidates, with polls indicating that the party's candidate would come in fifth, behind the
National Front's
Marine Le Pen
Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician who ran for the French presidency in 2012, 2017, and 2022. A member of the National Rally (RN; previously the National Front, FN), she served as its pre ...
,
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a retired French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the nominee of the Republicans (previously known as the Union ...
of the centre-right
Republicans
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
,
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
, former economy minister under Hollande who founded his centrist political movement, ''
En Marche!
Renaissance (RE), previously known as La République En Marche ! (frequently abbreviated LREM, LaREM or REM; translated as "The Republic on the Move" or "Republic Forward"), or sometimes called simply En Marche ! () as its original name, is a l ...
'', and left-wing ex-Socialist
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Antoine Pierre Mélenchon (; born 19 August 1951) is a French politician who was a member of the National Assembly for the 4th constituency of Bouches-du-Rhône from 2017 to 2022. He led the ''La France Insoumise'' group in the Nation ...
under the banner of
La France insoumise
La France Insoumise (FI or LFI; ; "France Unbowed") is a left-wing populist political party in France, launched in 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and former co-president of the Left Party (PG). It aim ...
. The primary was won by Socialist rebel
Benoît Hamon
Benoît Hamon (; born 26 June 1967) is a French politician known for his former role within the Socialist Party (PS) and Party of European Socialists (PES) and his political party Génération.s.
Hamon joined the Socialist Party in 1988 and ...
, who defeated ex-Prime Minister
Manuel Valls
Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti (, , ; born 13 August 1962) is a French-Spanish politician who has served as a Barcelona city councillor from 2019 to 2021. He served as Prime Minister of France from 2014 until 2016 under president François Hol ...
in the second round of the primary on 29 January 2017. Hamon finished 5th in the subsequent Presidential election, with 6.36% of the vote. In the 2017 legislative election that followed the election of President
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
, the Socialist party dropped from 280 to 30 seats in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
, leaving it in 4th place in terms of seats, and with 7.44% of the 1st round vote. The Parliamentary left group that it dominated (with 30 out of 45 seats after the election, down from 280 out of 331 seats before) finished as the 3rd largest group in the National Assembly. Following the election, Cambadélis resigned from the post of first secretary and Rachid Temal was appointed as acting secretary. The Socialist group was ultimately refounded as the
New Left
The New Left was a broad political movement mainly in the 1960s and 1970s consisting of activists in the Western world who campaigned for a broad range of social issues such as civil and political rights, environmentalism, feminism, gay rights, g ...
(NG).
On 1 July 2017 Hamon left the Socialist Party and founded the
1st July Movement (later renamed Génération.s). The Socialist Party abstained from the confidence vote on the
Second Philippe government
The second Philippe government ( French: ''Gouvernement Édouard Philippe II'') was the forty-first government of the French Fifth Republic. It was the second government formed by Édouard Philippe under President Emmanuel Macron, following the ...
. The party later elected 78 senators in the
2017 election.
On 7–8 April 2018 the
Aubervilliers Congress
The Aubervilliers Congress (french: congrès d'Aubervilliers) of the Socialist Party (PS) was held on 7 and 8 April 2018 near the Front Populaire station of the Paris Métro in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis. The congress determined the politi ...
elected
Olivier Faure
Olivier Faure (French: livie fɔʁ born 18 August 1968) is a French politician who has served as the First Secretary of the Socialist Party since 2018 and Member of the National Assembly for Seine-et-Marne's 11th constituency since 2012. He ...
as new first secretary of the party; Faure announced the party would be in opposition to Macron and Philippe. Because of financial problems, the party was forced to sell its historical seat in
Rue de Solférino
Rue de Solférino is a street in the Left Bank area of Paris. It was most commonly heard as a reference to the headquarters of the French Socialist Party, which were located there until 2018. The street is named after the Battle of Solferino, fou ...
and moved into a smaller one in
Rue Molière
The rue Molière is a short road in central Paris, in the 1st arrondissement. It begins at avenue de l'Opéra, near the Comédie-Française, and ends at the rue de Richelieu with the Fontaine Molière.
It has borne several names, including ''ru ...
, on
Ivry-sur-Seine
Ivry-sur-Seine () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Paris's main Asian district, the Quartier Asiatique in the 13th arrondissement, borders the co ...
.
Following the
Benalla affair, the Socialist Party entered a
motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
against the government, together with 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 ...
and
La France Insoumise
La France Insoumise (FI or LFI; ; "France Unbowed") is a left-wing populist political party in France, launched in 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and former co-president of the Left Party (PG). It aim ...
. The motions obtained 63 ayes and failed to reach the quorum of 289 votes required in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
.
In 2018, the New Left group changed its name into ''Socialists and affiliated group''.
On 12 October 2018, MEP
Emmanuel Maurel
Emmanuel Maurel (born 10 May 1973 in Épinay-sur-Seine), is a French politician. He was a member of the board of the French Socialist Party. He was a candidate for the leadership of the Socialist Party but lost against Harlem Désir, winning a ...
left the party together with other elected officials and founded the
Alternative for a republican, ecologist and socialist program (APRÉS).
For the
2019 European election
The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
, the Socialist Party formed a joint list with the
Radical Party of the Left
The Radical Party of the Left (french: Parti radical de gauche, PRG) is a social-liberal political party in France. A party in the Radical tradition, since 1972 the PRG was a close ally of the major party of the centre-left in France, the Socia ...
,
Place Publique
Place Publique is a centre-left political party in France, founded in 2018 by Raphaël Glucksmann, Claire Nouvian, Jo Spiegel, and Thomas Porcher.
In January 2019, the movement claimed 25,000 members.
History Creation
The party was officia ...
and
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
, with
Raphaël Glucksmann
Raphaël Glucksmann (, born 15 October 1979) is a French journalist, film director, and political figure. In May 2019, he was elected a member of the European Parliament, within the S&D alliance.
Early life and career
Glucksmann is the son of p ...
at its head. The list scored 6.19% of votes and elected three MEPs.
2022 presidential election
In the first round of voting in the
2022 French presidential election
The 2022 French presidential election was held on 10 and 24 April 2022. As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a runoff was held, in which Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen and was re-elected as President of France. Macron, f ...
, the candidate
Anne Hidalgo
Ana María "Anne" Hidalgo Aleu (, ; born 1959) is a Spanish-French politician who has served as Mayor of Paris since 2014, the first woman to hold the office. She is a member of the Socialist Party.
Hidalgo served as First Deputy Mayor of Paris ...
obtained the worst presidential election result in the party's history, with 1.75% of the total vote.
2022 legislative elections
In advance of the
2022 French legislative election
Legislative elections in France were held on 12 and 19 June 2022 to elect the 577 members of the 16th National Assembly of the Fifth French Republic. The elections took place following the 2022 French presidential election, which was held in A ...
, the party entered into a left-wing alliance, the
New Ecologic and Social People's Union
The New Ecological and Social People's Union (french: Nouvelle Union populaire écologique et sociale, link=no, NUPES) is a left-wing alliance of political parties in France. Formed on May Day 2022, the alliance includes La France Insoumise (LFI ...
(NUPES), joining
Europe Ecology – The Greens
Europe Ecology – The Greens (french: Europe Écologie Les Verts , EELV ) is a centre-left to left-wing green political party in France. The party is a member of the European Green Party. The party was formed on 13 November 2010 from the merge ...
, 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 ...
,
La France Insoumise
La France Insoumise (FI or LFI; ; "France Unbowed") is a left-wing populist political party in France, launched in 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and former co-president of the Left Party (PG). It aim ...
and other minor left-wing parties. Some Socialists like
Sylvie Tolmont
Sylvie Tolmont (born 9 October 1962) is a French politician from the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party, who has been the member of the National Assembly (France), National Assembly for Sarthe's 4th constituency since 2012 French legislat ...
, disillusioned with the alliance, stood in the election as
dissident candidates. The Socialist Party was able to win 27 seats , becoming the second left-wing force in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
, after La France Insoumise.
First secretaries
*
Alain Savary
Alain Savary (25 April 191817 February 1988) was a French Socialist politician, deputy to the National Assembly of France during the Fourth and Fifth Republic, chairman of the Socialist Party (PS) and a government minister in the 1950s and i ...
(1969–1971)
*
François Mitterrand
François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
(1971–1981)
*
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
(1981–1988)
*
Pierre Mauroy
Pierre Mauroy (; 5 July 1928 – 7 June 2013) was a French Socialist politician who was Prime Minister of France from 1981 to 1984 under President François Mitterrand. Mauroy also served as Mayor of Lille from 1973 to 2001. At the time of his de ...
(1988–1992)
*
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Marc ...
(1992–1993)
*
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...
(1993–1994)
*
Henri Emmanuelli
Henri Emmanuelli (31 May 1945 – 21 March 2017) was a French politician. A member of the French Socialist Party, he was deputy for Landes from 1978 to 1981, from 1986 to 1997, and from 2000 to 2017.
Early life and career
Emmanuelli was born ...
(1994–1995)
*
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
(1995–1997)
*
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
(1997–2008)
*
Martine Aubry
Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor of Lille (No ...
(2008–2012)
*
Harlem Désir
Harlem Jean-Philippe Désir (; born 25 November 1959) is a French politician who served in the government of France as Secretary of State for European Affairs from 2014 to 2017. Previously he was First Secretary of the French Socialist Party. Sin ...
(appointed on 30 June 2011, acting during Martine Aubry's candidacy in the
2011 French Socialist Party presidential primary
The 2011 French Socialist Party presidential primary was the first open primary (''primaires citoyennes'') of the French Socialist Party and Radical Party of the Left for selecting their candidate for the 2012 presidential election. The filing de ...
; 2012–2014)
*
Jean-Christophe Cambadélis
Jean-Christophe Cambadélis (born 14 August 1951) is a French politician who was First Secretary of the French Socialist Party from April 2014 till June 2017. He was a member of the National Assembly of France, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He r ...
(2014–2017)
*
Rachid Temal
Rashid or Rachid ( ar, راشد ) and Rasheed ( ar, رشيد ), which means "rightly guided", may refer to:
*Rashid (name), also Rachid and Rasheed, people with the given name or surname
*Rached, a given name and surname
*Rashad, a surname
Plac ...
(2017–2018; acting)
*
Olivier Faure
Olivier Faure (French: livie fɔʁ born 18 August 1968) is a French politician who has served as the First Secretary of the Socialist Party since 2018 and Member of the National Assembly for Seine-et-Marne's 11th constituency since 2012. He ...
(2018–present)
Factions
Factions are organised in the Socialist Party through policy declarations called ''motions'' on which the party members vote at each party congress:
*
Royalists
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
(
moderate social democracy):
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election.
Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 2014 ...
,
Gérard Collomb
Gérard Collomb (; born 20 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Mayor of Lyon from 2001 to 2017 and again from 2018 until 2020. A member of La République En Marche! (LREM) since he left the Socialist Party (PS) in 2017, he was Ministe ...
,
Jean-Noël Guérini
Jean-Noël Guérini (born 1 January 1951 in Calenzana, Corsica) is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Bouches-du-Rhône department since 1998. He was the president of the General council (''conseil général'') of Bouches-du- ...
,
Gaëtan Gorce,
Jean-Louis Bianco
Jean-Louis Bianco (born 12 January 1943) is a French politician and civil servant who served as Minister of Social Affairs and Integration from 1991 to 1992 and Minister of Equipment, Transport and Housing from 1992 to 1993 under President Fra ...
,
Julien Dray
Julien Dray (born 5 March 1955 in Oran, French Algeria) is a French politician. He is a member of the French Socialist Party, member of the regional council of Île-de-France and was a member of the National Assembly of France between 1988 a ...
,
Vincent Peillon
Vincent Benoît Camille Peillon (; born 7 July 1960) is a French politician who served as Minister for Education in the French Government. He is a longstanding French politician and, from 2014 until 2019, served as a Member of the European Parlia ...
,
Aurélie Filippetti
Aurélie Filippetti ( ; born 17 June 1973) is a French people, French politician and novelist. She served as Minister of Culture (France), French Minister of Culture and Communications from 2012 until 2014, first in the government of Jean-Marc ...
,
Hélène Mandroux
Hélène Mandroux-Colas (born 1 December 1940) is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party (PS) since 1982, her career in Montpellier debuted in Georges Frêche's municipal administration. Frêche gave her important responsibilities ...
,
Jean-Jack Queyranne
Jean-Jack Queyranne (born 2 November 1945) is a French politician. He has been the Regional President of the Rhône-Alpes since June 2002 (succeeding Anne-Marie Comparini) and is a deputy in the National Assembly from the seventh district of R ...
,
François Rebsamen
François Rebsamen (born 25 June 1951) is a French politician who was the Minister of Social Affairs from 2014 to 2015. He is a member of the Socialist Party.
Early life and education
Rebsamen is the son of Eric Gottfried Rebsamen, a Protes ...
and
Manuel Valls
Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti (, , ; born 13 August 1962) is a French-Spanish politician who has served as a Barcelona city councillor from 2019 to 2021. He served as Prime Minister of France from 2014 until 2016 under president François Hol ...
*
Aubryists (
Christian left
The Christian left is a range of left-wing Christian political and social movements that largely embrace social justice principles and uphold a social doctrine or social gospel.
Given the inherent diversity in international political thoug ...
,
social democracy
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
):
Martine Aubry
Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor of Lille (No ...
, François Lamy,
Sandrine Mazetier
Sandrine Mazetier (born 16 December 1966 in Rodez, Aveyron) is a member of the National Assembly of France. She represents the city of Paris, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche
The Socialists and affiliat ...
,
Pierre Mauroy
Pierre Mauroy (; 5 July 1928 – 7 June 2013) was a French Socialist politician who was Prime Minister of France from 1981 to 1984 under President François Mitterrand. Mauroy also served as Mayor of Lille from 1973 to 2001. At the time of his de ...
,
Paulette Guinchard-Kunstler
Paulette Guinchard-Kunstler (3 October 1949 – 4 March 2021) was a French politician. She served on the National Assembly (France), National Assembly representing Doubs's 2nd constituency as a member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Pa ...
,
Adeline Hazan
Adeline Hazan (born 21 January 1956 in Paris) is a French politician, who was one of the Members of the European Parliament for the east of France from 1999 to 2008, and mayor of Reims from March 2008 to April 2014.
She is a member of the So ...
and
Arnaud Montebourg
Arnaud Montebourg (; born 30 October 1962) is a French politician, lawyer and entrepreneur who served as the Minister of Industrial Renewal from 2012 to 2014,[Renovate Now Renovate Now (french: Rénover maintenant) is an organized caucus in the French Socialist Party.
The faction was founded in 2005, when Arnaud Montebourg (a member of the NPS faction) refused to support the ''motion de synthèse'' at the Le Mans Co ...]
)
* Fabiusians (
progressivism
Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...
):
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Marc ...
,
Claude Bartolone
Claude Bartolone (; born 1951) is a Tunisian-born French politician who was President of the National Assembly of France from 2012 to 2017. A member of the Socialist Party, he was first elected to the National Assembly, representing the Seine- ...
,
Marylise Lebranchu
Marylise Lebranchu ( ; born 25 April 1947 in Loudéac, Côtes-d'Armor) is a French politician. She served as Minister of the Reform of the State and of Decentralisation under Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
Biography
She is a member of th ...
,
Alain Le Vern
Alain Le Vern (born 8 May 1948) is a French politician. He served as a member of the Senate (France), French Senate and the president of the Upper Normandy Regions of France, region between 1998 and 2013. He is also the inaugural President of t ...
,
Alain Vidalies
Alain Vidalies (born 17 March 1951) was the French Secretary of State for Transport, the Sea and Fisheries from 26 August 2014 to 10 May 2017. He represents the Landes department in the National Assembly of France, and is a member of the So ...
and
Marie-Noëlle Lienemann
Marie-Noëlle Lienemann (born 12 July 1951, in Belfort) is a French politician who served as Member of the European Parliament for the North West of France. Until 2018, she was a member of the Socialist Party, part of the Party of European Socia ...
* Delanoistes (
social liberalism
Social liberalism (german: Sozialliberalismus, es, socioliberalismo, nl, Sociaalliberalisme), also known as new liberalism in the United Kingdom, modern liberalism, or simply liberalism in the contemporary United States, left-liberalism ...
):
Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand Delanoë (; born 30 May 1950) is a French retired politician who served as Mayor of Paris from 2001 to 2014. A member of the Socialist Party (PS), he previously served in the National Assembly from 1981 to 1986 and Senate from 1995 unti ...
,
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
,
Jean-Marc Ayrault
Jean-Marc Ayrault (; born 25 January 1950) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2012 to 31 March 2014. He later was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017. He previously was Mayor of Nantes from 1989 t ...
,
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
,
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...
,
Jean-Yves Le Drian
Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the First Philippe government, governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and ...
,
Élisabeth Guigou
Élisabeth Guigou (; born Élisabeth Vallier; 6 August 1946) is a French politician of the Socialist Party who served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 until 2017, representing Seine-Saint-Denis' 9th constituency.
Early life and ...
,
Michel Sapin
Michel Sapin (; born 9 April 1952 is a French politician who served as Minister of Finance from 1992 to 1993 and again from 2014 to 2017. He is a member of the Socialist Party.
He was Minister of the Civil Service from 2000 to 2002 and Minis ...
,
Alain Rousset
Alain Rousset (born 16 February 1951) is the Socialist president of the Aquitaine
Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region o ...
,
Harlem Désir
Harlem Jean-Philippe Désir (; born 25 November 1959) is a French politician who served in the government of France as Secretary of State for European Affairs from 2014 to 2017. Previously he was First Secretary of the French Socialist Party. Sin ...
,
Pierre Cohen
Pierre Cohen (born 20 March 1950) is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Haute-Garonne department, and is a member of the Socialist, Radical, Citizen and Miscellaneous Left group.
Early life
Cohen was born in ...
,
Michel Destot
Michel Destot (born 2 September 1946) is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Isère department, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche. He was the mayor of Grenoble between 1995 and ...
and
Roland Ries
Roland Ries (born 11 January 1945) is a French politician from Alsace holding several posts on local, regional and national level since 1997.
A member of the Socialist Party and mayor of Strasbourg between 2008 and 2020 Ries also serves as the f ...
*
New Socialist Party (
democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self- ...
):
Henri Emmanuelli
Henri Emmanuelli (31 May 1945 – 21 March 2017) was a French politician. A member of the French Socialist Party, he was deputy for Landes from 1978 to 1981, from 1986 to 1997, and from 2000 to 2017.
Early life and career
Emmanuelli was born ...
,
Benoît Hamon
Benoît Hamon (; born 26 June 1967) is a French politician known for his former role within the Socialist Party (PS) and Party of European Socialists (PES) and his political party Génération.s.
Hamon joined the Socialist Party in 1988 and ...
,
Jacques Fleury,
Michel Vergnier
Michel Vergnier (born 25 November 1946 in Ennery, Moselle) was a member of the National Assembly of France. He represented the Creuse department's only constituency until 2017, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers ga ...
,
André Lejeune
André Lejeune (4 July 1935 – 9 September 2009) was a French politician and a member of both the National Assembly and then Senate of France.
In the National Assembly from 1981–1993, he represented Creuse's 1st constituency as a member of ...
and
Paul Quilès
Paul Quilès (, 27 January 1942 – 24 September 2021) was a French Socialist politician.
Biography
Quilès was born in Sig, Algeria on 27 January 1942.
Quilès was a member of the National Assembly for Paris and later Tarn ''département''. ...
*
Eco-socialists
Eco-socialism (also known as green socialism or socialist ecology) is an ideology merging aspects of socialism with that of green politics, ecology and alter-globalization or Anti-globalization movement, anti-globalization. Eco-socialists gener ...
(
eco-socialism
Eco-socialism (also known as green socialism or socialist ecology) is an ideology merging aspects of socialism with that of green politics, ecology and alter-globalization or anti-globalization. Eco-socialists generally believe that the expansi ...
and ):
Christophe Caresche
Christophe Caresche (born 2 September 1960 in Arcachon) was a member of the National Assembly of France from 1997 to 2017. He represented the Paris's 18th constituency as a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche
The ...
,
Jean-Louis Tourenne,
Nicole Bricq
Nicole Bricq (; 10 June 1947 – 6 August 2017) was a member of the Senate of France, representing the Seine-et-Marne department. She received a degree in private law from Montesquieu University in 1970.
From 1972 on Bricq was a member of the ...
,
Geneviève Gaillard and
Philippe Tourtelier
Election results
Presidency
National Assembly
European Parliament
Splinter parties
* 1956–:
Guianese Socialist Party
The Guianese Socialist Party (french: Parti socialiste guyanais, PSG) is a political party in the French '' overseas région'' of French Guiana, in South America.
History
It was founded in 1956 by Justin Catayée, beforehand the founder of the ...
, splinter from the
French Section of the Workers' International
The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was found ...
(SFIO), the predecessor of the Socialist Party.
* 1970–1973:
Party of Socialist Democracy (PDS) (
fr), led by the deputy
Émile Muller
Émile Muller (20 April 1915, Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin – 11 November 1988) was a French politician from Alsace. He was the candidate of the Democratic Socialist Movement of France in the 1974 French presidential election, where he won only 0.69% o ...
.
* 1972–:
Guadeloupean Socialist Party
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
(PSG), founded by the former senator
René Toribio
René Toribio (born 10 December 1912 in Lamentin, Guadeloupe; died 27 July 1990 in the same town) was a French politician and was a member of the French Senate representing Guadeloupe from 1959 to 1968.
Biography
Before WWII he was a teacher an ...
.
* 1973:
Socialist Democratic Movement of France
Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...
(MDSF), led by the deputy
Max Lejeune
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) (1 ...
(
fr)
* 1973–1995: fusion of PDS, MDSF and other splinter groups (Liberal Socialist Movement, Democratic Socialism, Socialism for Liberties and Democracy) to form the Socialist Democratic Movement of France (MDS), renamed after the
March 1973 legislative election Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(PSD), joined the centre-right
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy (french: Union pour la démocratie française, UDF) was a centre to centre-right political party in France. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to c ...
(UDF) in 1978.
* 1986–:
Alsatian Democracy Movement (MDA) (
fr), founded by
Alfred Muller
Alfred Muller (23 December 1940 – 13 November 2020), was a French politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 1993 to 1997.
Biography
Alfred Muller was born on 23 December 1940 in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin. In 1971 he ...
, elected in 1993 as deputy with the endorsement of the PS.
* 1990–:
Martinican Socialist Party
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
(PMS), founded by
Maurice Louis-Joseph-Dogué (
fr).
* 1993–2002: Movement of Citizens (MDC), founded by the deputy
, renamed the
Citizen and Republican Movement
The Citizen and Republican Movement (French language, French: ''Mouvement républicain et citoyen'') is a political party in France. The party replaced in 2002 the Citizens' Movement (''Mouvement des citoyens'', MDC) founded by Jean-Pierre Chev ...
(MRC) in 2003
* 1994–:
United Guadeloupe, Socialism and Realities
United Guadeloupe, Solidary and Responsible (french: Guadeloupe unie, solidaire et responsable; abbreviated GUSR), formerly known as United Guadeloupe, Socialism and Facts (french: Guadeloupe unie, socialisme et réalités), is a political part ...
, formerly (1991-1994) the Reflexion and Action Group for Guadeloupe (GRAP-G) faction inside the Guadeloupe federation of the Socialist Party
[Laurent de Boissieu,]
Guadeloupe Unie, Socialisme et Réalités (GUSR)
, ''France-politique.fr''
* 1996–:
Social Democratic Corsica
Simon Renucci (born March 29, 1945) was a member of the National Assembly of France. He represented the Corse-du-Sud department from 2002 to 2012 as a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche
The Socialists and affiliated g ...
(CSD) (
fr), founded by
Simon Renucci
Simon Renucci (born March 29, 1945) was a member of the National Assembly of France. He represented the Corse-du-Sud department from 2002 to 2012 as a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche.
References
1945 births
Liv ...
.
* 2007–:
Modern Left
The Modern Left (french: La Gauche moderne, LGM), is a centrist political party in France founded in 2007.
The party was founded following the nomination of the former Socialist Party (PS) Senator and Mayor of Mulhouse, Jean-Marie Bockel to the ...
(LGM), founded by the senator
Jean-Marie Bockel
Jean-Marie Bockel (born 22 June 1950) is a French politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence and Veterans in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon appointed on 18 March 2008, having previously been Secretary of State ...
, joined the centre-right
Union of Democrats and Independents
The Union of Democrats and Independents (french: Union des démocrates et indépendants, UDI) is a Centrism, centre to Centre-right politics, centre-right list of political parties in France, political party in France and former Electoral alliance ...
(UDI) in 2012
* 2008–:
Left Party (PG), founded by senator
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Antoine Pierre Mélenchon (; born 19 August 1951) is a French politician who was a member of the National Assembly for the 4th constituency of Bouches-du-Rhône from 2017 to 2022. He led the ''La France Insoumise'' group in the Nation ...
, joined the
Left Front in 2009.
* 2013–:
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
(ND).
* 2015–:
Les Socialistes insoumis (
fr), led by former MEP
Liêm Hoang Ngoc.
* 2017–:
Génération.s, le mouvement (
fr), led by former presidential candidate
Benoît Hamon
Benoît Hamon (; born 26 June 1967) is a French politician known for his former role within the Socialist Party (PS) and Party of European Socialists (PES) and his political party Génération.s.
Hamon joined the Socialist Party in 1988 and ...
* 2018–:
Republican and Socialist Left, led by
Emmanuel Maurel
Emmanuel Maurel (born 10 May 1973 in Épinay-sur-Seine), is a French politician. He was a member of the board of the French Socialist Party. He was a candidate for the leadership of the Socialist Party but lost against Harlem Désir, winning a ...
and
Marie-Noëlle Lienemann
Marie-Noëlle Lienemann (born 12 July 1951, in Belfort) is a French politician who served as Member of the European Parliament for the North West of France. Until 2018, she was a member of the Socialist Party, part of the Party of European Socia ...
See also
*
French Section of the Workers' International
The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was found ...
*
New Left group
The Socialists and affiliated group (french: groupe Socialistes et apparentés ) is a parliamentary group in the National Assembly including representatives of the Socialist Party (PS).
History
The first socialist parliamentary group emerged i ...
*
Socialist and Republican group
The Socialist and Republican group (french: groupe socialiste et républicain) is a parliamentary group in the Senate including representatives of the Socialist Party (PS).
History
The first parliamentary group of socialists in the Senate of ...
*
Terra Nova (think tank)
Terra Nova is a French independent liberal think tank or "Progressive Foundation" considered close to the French Socialist Party, and later to the French President, Emmanuel Macron. It produces reports and analyses of current political issues an ...
*
Workers and Peasants Socialist Party
The Workers and Peasants' Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste ouvrier et paysan'', ''PSOP'') was an ephemeral socialist organisation in France, formed on June 8, 1938 by Marceau Pivert. Its youth wing was the ''Workers and Peasants' Socialist Yout ...
*
Pasokification
Pasokification is the decline of centre-left social-democratic political parties in European and other Western countries during the 2010s, often accompanied by the rise of nationalist, left-wing and right-wing populist alternatives. In Europe, ...
References
Further reading
* Bell, David S., and Byron Criddle. ''Exceptional Socialists: The Case of the French Socialist Party'' (2014).
* Bell, David Scott, and Byron Criddle. ''The French Socialist Party: The emergence of a party of government'' (1988).
* Bell, David. ''François Mitterrand: a political biography'' (2005).
* Cole, Alistair. "The French Socialist Party and Its Radical Ambiguity." ''French Politics, Culture & Society'' (2011) 29#3 pp: 29–48.
* Cole, A., S. Meunier, and V. Tiberj. "From Sarkozy to Hollande: The New Normal?" in ''Developments in French Politics 5'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), edited by A. Cole, S. Meunier, and V. Tiberj, pp 1–18.
* Cole, Alistair. ''François Mitterrand: A study in political leadership'' (1994).
* Cole, Alistair M. "Factionalism, the French socialist party and the fifth Republic: An explanation of intra‐party divisions." ''European Journal of Political Research'' (1989) 17#1 pp: 77-94.
* Colton, Joel. ''Léon Blum: humanist in politics'' (1987).
* Criddle, Byron. ''Socialists and European integration: a study of the French Socialist Party'' (1969).
* Graham, Bruce Desmond. ''Choice and democratic order: the French Socialist Party, 1937-1950'' (2006).
* Greene, Nathanael. ''Crisis and decline: The French socialist party in the popular front era'' (1969).
*
* Noland, Aaron. ''The Founding of the French Socialist Party (1893-1905)'' (1956).
* Northcutt, Wayne. ''Mitterrand: A political biography'' (1992).
* Northcutt, Wayne. "François Mitterrand and the political use of symbols: the construction of a centrist republic." ''French Historical Studies'' (1991) pp: 141–158.
*
*
* Short, Philip. ''Mitterrand: A Study in Ambiguity'' (2013).
* Wall, Irwin. ''France Votes: The Election of François Hollande'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Socialist Party (France)
Social democratic parties
Social democratic parties in Europe
Centre-left parties in Europe
Full member parties of the Socialist International