The Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (french: Parti républicain, radical et radical-socialiste) is a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
and formerly
social-liberal
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 ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. It is also often referred to simply as the Radical Party (french: Parti radical), or to prevent confusion with
other French Radical parties as the ''Parti radical valoisien'' (after its headquarters on the
rue de Valois
Rue de Valois is a street in the Palais-Royal quarter in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.
Description
The 377-meter-long-street starts at 202, Rue Saint-Honoré and ends at 1, Rue de Beaujolais. It has a north-south orientation and is a ...
), abbreviated to Rad, PR, PRV, or historically PRRRS.
Founded in 1901, it is the oldest active political party in France. Coming from the
Radical Republican
The Radical Republicans (later also known as "Stalwarts") were a faction within the Republican Party, originating from the party's founding in 1854, some 6 years before the Civil War, until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Recon ...
tradition, the Radical Party upheld the principles of
private property,
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
and
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...
. The Radicals were originally a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
group, but with the emergence of the
French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) in 1905 they shifted gradually towards the
political centre
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 ...
. In 1926, its right wing split off to form the Unionist (or National) Radicals. In 1972, the left wing of the party split off to form the
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 ...
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 Soc ...
(PRG). The Radical Party then affiliated with the
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
, becoming one of the founder parties of the
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 ...
(UDF) in 1978. In 2002, the party split from the UDF and became an associate party of the
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right List of political parties in France, political party in France that was one of the two major party, major contemporary political pa ...
(UMP) and were represented on the
Liaison Committee for the Presidential Majority
The Liaison Committee for the Presidential Majority (french: Comité de liaison de la majorité présidentielle, also called the Committee of the Presidential Majority or Committee of the Majority) was a structure initiated by Nicolas Sarkozy to ...
prior to launching
The Alliance (ARES) in 2011 and the
Union of Democrats and Independents
The Union of Democrats and Independents (french: Union des démocrates et indépendants, UDI) is a centre to centre-right political party in France and former electoral alliance founded on 18 September 2012 on the basis of the parliamentary grou ...
(UDI) in 2012.
After the 2017
presidential and
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
elections, negotiations to merge the PR and the PRG began. The refounding congress to reunite the parties into the
Radical Movement
The Radical Movement (french: Mouvement radical, MR), officially the Radical, Social and Liberal Movement (french: link=no, Mouvement radical, social et libéral), was a Social liberalism, social-liberal list of political parties in France, politi ...
was held on 9 and 10 December 2017. However, a minority of the PRG refused to unite with PR and founded
a new party, which was joined by some left-wing members of the Radical Movement (most notably the last president of the PRG
Sylvia Pinel
Sylvia Pinel (born 28 September 1977) is a French politician who has been serving as a member of the National Assembly of France since 2016 to 2022, where she represented the 2nd constituency in the Tarn-et-Garonne department. Since 3 Se ...
) a year later, when the movement decided to ally
Emmanuel Macron's
La République En Marche! for the
2019 European Parliament 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 peop ...
. In 2021 its president
Laurent Hénart announced that the Radical Movement would "become again" the Radical Party.
History
Radicals before the party (1830–1901)
After the collapse of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's
empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
in 1815, a reactionary
Bourbon Restoration took place. The left-wing opposition was constituted by the broad family of Republicans, but these differed over whether and how far to cooperate with
liberal-constitutional monarchists in pursuit of their
common adversary. In contrast to the Republicans' right wing (then the centre-left of the political spectrum), who were more inclined to accept a socially conservative
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
as the first stage to a republic, the Republicans' left wing took a hard line in advocating progressive reforms such as
universal manhood suffrage
Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. It is sometimes summarized by the slo ...
,
civil liberties (such as press freedom and right to assembly, among others), and the immediate installation of a republican constitution. They came to be termed Radical Republicans by opposition to the
Moderate Republicans.
After the installation of the constitutional
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 F ...
(1830–1848), the term Republican was outlawed and the regime's remaining Republican opponents adopted the term Radical for themselves. Following the monarchy's conservative turn,
Alexandre Ledru-Rollin and
Louis Blanc
Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc (; ; 29 October 1811 – 6 December 1882) was a French politician and historian. A socialist who favored reforms, he called for the creation of cooperatives in order to guarantee employment for the urban poor. Alt ...
formulated a Radical doctrine. At this time, radicalism was distinct from and to the left of the July Monarchy's
doctrinal liberalism. Radicals defended traditional peasant farmers and small craftsmen against the new rival economic projects of the 19th century, socialist collectivism and capitalist big business alike.
The Radicals took a major part in the
1848 Revolution
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...
and the foundation of the
Second Republic, sitting in parliament as the
Montagne legislative group. Fifty years later, the Radical-Socialist Party would consider this group its direct forefather. For a few months,
Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin
Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin (; 2 February 1807 – 31 December 1874) was a French lawyer, politician and one of the leaders of the French Revolution of 1848.
Youth
The grandson of Nicolas Philippe Ledru, the celebrated quack doctor known as ...
was Interior Minister in the provisional government. However, the conservatives won the
1848 legislative election, the first election by universal suffrage. The repression of the June 1848 workers' demonstrations disappointed the left-wing supporters of the new regime. Ledru-Rollin obtained only 5% of votes at the
December 1848 presidential election, which was won by
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who launched a
coup, ending parliamentary democracy in favour of a
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
.
From opposition, Radicals criticized Bonaparte's autocratic rule and attacks on civil liberties. At the end of the 1860s, they advocated with the
Belleville Programme (supported by
Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government.
Early life and education
Born in Cahors, Ga ...
) the election of
civil servants and
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
s, the proclamation of the so-called "great liberties", free public teaching and the separation of church and state.
After the collapse of the
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the Second and the Third Republic of France.
Historians in the 1930 ...
following the 1870
Franco-Prussian War, the
Third Republic was proclaimed in September 1870. The first
elections in February 1871 returned a majority of monarchists belonging to two dinstinct factions, conservative-liberal
Orléanist
Orléanist (french: Orléaniste) was a 19th-century French political label originally used by those who supported a constitutional monarchy expressed by the House of Orléans. Due to the radical political changes that occurred during that cent ...
s and Catholic-traditionalist
Legitimist
The Legitimists (french: Légitimistes) are royalists who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession to the French crown of the descendants of the eldest branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They ...
s, but these were too divided to reach an agreement over the type of monarchy they wanted to restore. Their division allowed time for the Republicans to win the
1876 elections, leading to the firm establishment of a Republican republic. Like the monarchists, the Republicans were divided into two main factions, namely a centre-left formed of socially-conservative yet liberal and secular
Moderate Republicans (pejoratively labeled "Opportunist Republicans") and a far-left of uncompromising anticlerical Radicals.
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...
was the leader of the Radical parliamentary group, who criticized colonial policy as a form of diversion from
"revenge" against Prussia and due to his ability was a protagonist of the collapse of many governments.
In the 1890s, competition from the growing
labour movement
The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other.
* The trade union movement ...
and concern for the
plight of industrial workers prompted
Léon Bourgeois
Léon Victor Auguste Bourgeois (; 21 May 185129 September 1925) was a French statesman. His ideas influenced the Radical Party regarding a wide range of issues. He promoted progressive taxation such as progressive income taxes and social insuran ...
to update the fifty-year-old Radical doctrine to encompass social reforms such as the progressive
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
and
social insurance
Social insurance is a form of social welfare that provides insurance against economic risks. The insurance may be provided publicly or through the subsidizing of private insurance. In contrast to other forms of social assistance, individuals' ...
schemes, hence the term Radical-Socialist, a social-democratic synthesis of
reformist socialism
Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement.
Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can eve ...
with traditional radicalism. After the
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...
, Radicals joined forces with conservative Republicans and some Socialists 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 W ...
's cabinet (1899–1902). In 1901, an Act on the right of association was voted and the various individual Radicals organised themselves into a political party in order to defend their governmental achievements from the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
's influence and the traditionalist opposition. However, not all Radicals accepted the change in doctrine and alliance. While retaining their doctrines, those show rejected the new turn towards social-democracy and partnership with the Socialist Party gradually peeled away, labelling themselves the
Independent Radicals and sitting in their own loose-knit parliamentary party (
Radical Left) to the right of the Radical-Socialists.
The Radical-Socialist and Radical Republican Party was the first large political party established at a national level in France, which contrasted with previous parliamentary groups that were formed spontaneously by likeminded independent lawmakers elected through purely local electoral committees. The first congress of the Radical Party was held in June 1901. Delegates represented 476 election committees, 215 editorial boards of Radical newspapers and 155 Masonic lodges as well as lawmakers, mayors and municipal councillors. However, it was not until 1914 that the Radical-Socialist Party imposed strict discipline on its parliamentary deputies, requiring them to sit exclusively in a single Radical-Socialist legislative
caucus.
The existence of a national party immediately changed the political scene. Several Radical independents had already been presidents of the Council (
Ferdinand Buisson
Ferdinand Édouard Buisson (20 December 1841 – 16 February 1932) was a French academic, educational bureaucrat, pacifist and Radical-Socialist (left liberal) politician. He presided over the League of Education from 1902 to 1906 and the Human R ...
,
Emile Combes and
Charles Floquet
Charles Thomas Floquet (; 2 October 1828 – 18 January 1896) was a French lawyer and statesman.
Biography
He was born at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ( Basses-Pyrénées). Charles Floquet is the son of Pierre Charlemagne Floquet and Marie Léocadie ...
, among others) and the Radicals already benefited from a strong presence across the country. The party was composed of a heterogeneous alliance of personal fiefdoms, informal electoral clubs,
masonic lodges and sections of the ''
Ligue des droits de l'homme
The Human Rights League (french: Ligue des droits de l’homme ''t du citoyen' or LDH) of France is a Human Rights NGO association to observe, defend and promulgation of Rights Man within the French Republic in all spheres of public life. The ...
'' (Human Rights League) and the ''
Ligue française de l'enseignement'' (French League of Education, an association dedicated to introducing, expanding and defending free, compulsory and non-religious primary education). The secularising cause was championed by
Émile Combes
Émile Justin Louis Combes (; 6 September 183525 May 1921) was a French statesman and freemason who led the Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 to January 1905.
Career
Émile Combes was born in Roquecourbe, Tarn. He studied for the pri ...
' cabinet start of the 20th century. As the political enemy, they identified the Catholic Church, seen as a political campaign entity for ultra-conservatives and monarchists.
Early years: the Radical Republic (1901–1919)
At
1902 legislative election, the Radical-Socialists and the Independent Radicals allied themselves with the conservative-liberals of the
Democratic Alliance (to their immediate right) and the Socialists (to their left) in the ''
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 ...
'' (Coalition of the Left), with the Radicals emerging the main political force.
Émile Combes
Émile Justin Louis Combes (; 6 September 183525 May 1921) was a French statesman and freemason who led the Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 to January 1905.
Career
Émile Combes was born in Roquecourbe, Tarn. He studied for the pri ...
took the head of the ''Bloc des gauches'' cabinet and led a resolute anti-clerical policy culminating in the
1905 laic law which along with the earlier
Jules Ferry laws
The Jules Ferry Laws are a set of French laws which established free education in 1881, then mandatory and ''laic'' (secular) education in 1882. Jules Ferry, a lawyer holding the office of Minister of Public Instruction in the 1880s, is widely c ...
removing confessional influence from public education formed the backbone of ''
laïcité
(; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted as discouraging religious involvement in government affairs, especially religious influence in the determin ...
'', France's policy of combatting
clericalism
Clericalism is the application of the formal, church-based, leadership or opinion of ordained clergy in matters of either the Church or broader political and sociocultural import.
Clericalism is usually, if not always, used in a pejorative sense ...
by actively excluding it from state institutions. From then on, the Radical-Socialist Party's chief aim in domestic policy was to prevent its wide-ranging set of reforms from being overturned by a return to power of the religious right.
After the withdrawal of the Socialist ministers from the government following the
International Socialist Congress of Amsterdam
The Second International (1889–1916) was an organisation of socialist and labour parties, formed on 14 July 1889 at two simultaneous Paris meetings in which delegations from twenty countries participated. The Second International continued th ...
in 1904, the coalition dissolved and the Radicals went alone into the
1906 legislative elections. Nevertheless, the Radical-Socialist Party remained the axis of the parliamenary majorities and of the governments. The cabinet led by the Independent Radical
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...
(1906–1909) introduced
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
and workers' pensions, but is also remembered for its violent repression of industrial strikes.
For the latter part of the
Third Republic (1918–1940), the Radical-Socialists, generally representing the anti-clerical segment of peasant and petty-bourgeois voters, were usually the largest single party in parliament, but with their anti-clerical agenda accomplished the party lost their driving force. Its leader before World War I
Joseph Caillaux
Joseph-Marie–Auguste Caillaux (; 30 March 1863 Le Mans – 22 November 1944 Mamers) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He was a leader of the French Radical Party and Minister of Finance, but his progressive views in opposition ...
was generally more noted for his advocacy of better relations with Germany than for his reformist agenda.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914–1918), the Radical-Socialist Party was the keystone of the ''
Sacred Union The Sacred Union (french: Union Sacrée, ) was a political truce in France in which the left-wing agreed, during World War I, not to oppose the government or call any strikes. Made in the name of patriotism, it stood in opposition to the pledge mad ...
'' while the most prominent Independent Radical
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...
led the cabinet again from 1917 to 1919. He appeared as the "architect of victory", but his relationship with the Radical-Socialist Party deteriorated. The Radical-Socialists and the Independent Radicals entered the
1919 legislative election in opposing coalitions, thus Clemenceau's
alliance of the right emerged victorious.
Between World Wars (1919–1946)
By the end of World War I, the Radical-Socialist Party, now led by
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 f ...
, were generally a moderate centre-left party faced with the governmental dominance of the socially-conservative liberal parties to its right (see
Independent Radicals and
Democratic Alliance) and pressure from its left by the rise of support for the socialist
French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and
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 Un ...
(PCF). With these political forces, Radical-Socialists shared
anti-clericalism and the struggle for "social progress", but unlike the other left parties the Radical-Socialists defended the principle of strict parliamentary action and the defence of private property, at least that of smallholders and small business. Additionally, the Radical-Socialist Party had thought before 1914 that its old adversaries among the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
monarchist
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...
and
traditionalist right had been weakened once and for all, instead these emerged reinvigorated by World War I.
In 1924, Radical-Socialists formed electoral alliances with the SFIO. The ''
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 ...
'' (Coalition of the Left) won the
1924 legislative election and Herriot formed a government. However, the Radical-Socialists gradually drifted to the right, moving from left-Republican governments supported by the non-participating Socialists to a coalition of "Republican concentration" with the centre-right Independent Radicals and the more socially-conservative liberal parties in 1926.
Two years later at the
Angers Congress, the left-wing of the party obtained the withdrawal of the Radical-Socialists from the cabinet and the return to a policy of alliance with the Socialists.
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 Carpe ...
was elected party leader. However, a section of the party's right-wing defected to form a second centre-right
Independent Radical party (the Social and Radical Left) which opposed alliance with the Socialist Party and preferred close cooperation with the centre-right liberals of the
Democratic Alliance.
The second ''Cartel des gauches'' won the
1932 legislative election, but its two main components were not able to establish a common agenda and consequently the SFIO chose to support the second government led by Herriot without participation. The coalition fell on 7 February 1934 following
riots organized by the far-right leagues the night before. The Radical-Socialist
Camille Chautemps's government had been replaced by a government led by his popular rival Édouard Daladier in January after accusations of corruption against Chautemps' government in the wake of the
Stavisky Affair and other similar scandals.
This pattern of initial alliance with a socialist party unwilling to join in active government followed by disillusionment and alliance with the centre-right seemed to be broken in 1936, when 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 ...
electoral alliance with the Socialists and the Communists led to the accession of Socialist leader
Léon Blum as
President of the Council in a coalition government in which the Radical-Socialist leaders Édouard Daladier and Camille Chautemps (representing left and right of the Radical-Socialist Party, respectively) took important roles. For the first time in its history, the Radical-Socialist Party obtained fewer votes than the SFIO.
Over the tempestuous life of the coalition, the Radical-Socialists began to become concerned at the perceived radicalism of their coalition partners. Hence, they opposed themselves to Blum's intention to help the Republicans during 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, link ...
(1936–1939), forcing him to adopt a non-interventionist policy. Following the failure of Blum's second government in April 1938, Daladier formed a new government in coalition with the liberal and conservative parties.
After the 29 September 1938
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...
which handed over
Sudetenland to
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in exchange for what proved to be a temporary peace, Daladier was acclaimed upon his return to Paris as the man who had avoided war. However, two days after the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
on 1 September 1939 the French government led by Daladier made good on its guarantees to Poland by declaring war alongside Britain. Following the 23 August 1939
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that enabled those powers to partition Poland between them. The pact was signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ri ...
between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Daladier engaged in an
anti-communist policy, prohibiting the Communists activities and the party's newspaper, ''
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 ...
''.
Furthermore, Daladier moved increasingly to the right, notably repealing the
40-hour work week
The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a business day, working day, preventing excesses and abuses.
An eight-hour work day has its ori ...
which had been the Popular Front's most visible accomplishment. Daladier would eventually resign in March 1940 and take part in the new government of
Paul Reynaud
Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany.
Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of ...
(leader of the main centre-right liberal party, the
Democratic Alliance) as minister of National Defense and of War. After the defeat of the
Battle of France, the French army being overwhelmed by the Nazi ''
Blitzkrieg'', the French government declared Paris an "open city" on 10 June and flew to
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...
. The same month, Daladier escaped to
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
in the ''
Massilia
Massalia (Greek: Μασσαλία; Latin: Massilia; modern Marseille) was an ancient Greek colony founded ca. 600 BC on the Mediterranean coast of present-day France, east of the river Rhône, by Ionian Greek settlers from Phocaea, in Western An ...
''. Thus, he was not there during the controversial 10 July 1940 vote of full powers to Marshal
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...
which opened the door to the
Vichy regime
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
. Daladier was arrested and tried in 1942 by the new regime (see the
Riom Trial The Riom Trial (french: Procès de Riom; 19 February 1942 – 21 May 1943) was an attempt by the Vichy France regime, headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain, to prove that the leaders of the French Third Republic (1870–1940) had been responsible for ...
) which accused him as well as other political leaders such as Socialist
Léon Blum and conservative
Paul Reynaud
Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany.
Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of ...
of being morally and strategically responsible for the loss of the Battle of France.
Fourth Republic (1946–1958)
After World War II, the Radicals, like many of the other political parties, were discredited by the fact that many of their members had voted to grant emergency powers to Marshal
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...
, although senior Radical leaders as Édouard Herriot, then President of the Chamber of Deputies (the parliamentary Speaker), had been ambivalent.
The Radical-Socialist Party was reconstituted and formed one of the important parties of the
Fourth Republic (1946–1958), but never recovered its dominant pre-war position. It failed to prevent the adoption of the projects of the
three-parties coalition (nationalizations and the welfare state). Along with
Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance
The Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (french: Union démocratique et socialiste de la Résistance or UDSR) was a French political party founded after the liberation of France from German occupation and mainly active during the Fo ...
, it set up an electoral umbrella-group, the
Rally of Republican Lefts
The Rally of Republican Lefts (french: Rassemblement des gauches républicaines, RGR) was an electoral alliance during the French Fourth Republic composed of the Radical Party, the Independent Radicals, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the ...
(RGR). From 1947, after the split of the governmental coalition it participated to the
Third Force coalition with the SFIO, the Christian-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 ...
and the conservative-liberal
National Centre of Independents and Peasants
The National Centre of Independents and Peasants (''Centre National des Indépendants et Paysans'', CNIP) is a right-wing agrarian political party in France, founded in 1951 by the merger of the National Centre of Independents (the heir of the ...
.
In the early years of the Fourth Republic, the party returned to the moderate left under the leadership of
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 ...
, a strong opponent of
French colonialism
The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that existe ...
, whose premiership from 1954 to 1955 saw France's withdrawal from
Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
and the agreement for French withdrawal from
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
. Mendès-France, a very popular figure who helped renew the Radical-Socialist Party after its discredit, was indeed elected on the pledge to stop
Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
(1946–1954).
Mendès-France hoped to make the Radicals the party of the mainstream centre-left in France, taking advantage of the difficulties of the SFIO. The more conservative elements in the party led by
Edgar Faure
Edgar Jean Faure (; 18 August 1908 – 30 March 1988) was a French politician, lawyer, essayist, historian and memoirist who served as Prime Minister of France in 1952 and again between 1955 and 1956.[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 ...]
's leadership, the Radical Party participated to a centre-left coalition, the
Republican Front, which won the
1956 legislative election. Another split, this time over France's policy about the
Algerian War (1954–1962), led to his resignation as party leader and the party's move in a distinctly conservative direction.
The Fourth Republic was characterized by constant parliamentary instability because of divisions between major parties over the Algerian War, which was officially called a "public order operation" until the 1990s. Mendès-France opposed the war and colonialism while the SFIO led by Prime Minister
Guy Mollet supported it. Because of the start of the
Cold War, all political parties, even the SFIO, opposed 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 Un ...
(PCF), which was very popular due to its role during the
Resistance (it was known as the ''parti des 75,000 fusillés'', "party of the 75,000 executed people"). The PCF was also opposed to
French rule in Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
and supported its independence.
In the midst of this parliamentary instability and divisions of the political class,
Charles de Gaulle took advantage of the
May 1958 crisis
The May 1958 crisis, also known as the Algiers putsch or the coup of 13 May, was a political crisis in France during the turmoil of the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962) which led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic and its replacem ...
to return to power. On 13 May,
European colonists seized the Governor-General's building in
Algiers while
Opération Résurrection was launched by the right-wing insurrectionary ''Comité de Salut Public''. De Gaulle, who had deserted the political arena for a decade by disgust over the parliamentary system and its chronic instability (the ''système des partis'' which he severely criticized), now appeared as the only man able to reconcile the far-right and the European settlers, which were threatening a coup d'état, with the French Republic. Thus, he was called to power and proclaimed the end of the Fourth Republic (according to him too weak because of its parliamentarism) and replaced it by the
Fifth Republic, a hybrid presidential-parliamentary system tailored for himself.
The Radical Party supported de Gaulle at this crucial moment, leading Mendès-France to quit the party. Opposed to the proposed constitution, Mendès-France campaigned for the "no" on 28 September 1958 referendum. However, the
new Constitution was finally adopted and proclaimed on 4 October 1958.
Fifth Republic (1958–present)
Popular figure Pierre Mendès-France quit the Radical Party, which had crossed the threshold to the centre-right, as early moderate Republicans did at the beginning of the Third Republic, when the Radical Party, appearing to their left, pushed them over the border between the left-wing and the right-wing, a process dubbed ''
sinistrisme
Sinistrisme () is a neologism invented by political scientist Albert Thibaudet in ''Les idées politiques de la France'' (1932) to explain the evolution and recombination of party systems, particularly in France, without substantial changes occ ...
''.
Mendès-France then founded the ''Centre d'Action Démocratique'' (CAD), which would later join the
Autonomous Socialist Party (PSA, which had split from the SFIO), which in turn fused into the
Unified Socialist Party (PSU) on 3 April 1960. This new socialist party gathered all the dissidents from the Radical Party and the SFIO who were opposed to both the Algerian War and the proclamation of the new presidential regime. Mendès-France would officially become a member of the PSU in 1961, a year before the 18 March 1962
Evian Accords
Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year.
Today, Evia ...
which put an end to the Algerian War.
The Radical Party returned from support of the government to opposition in 1959 and declined throughout all the 1960s. Allied with the SFIO in 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 ...
, it supported
François Mitterrand for the
1965 presidential election. This federation later split in 1968.
Under the leadership of
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, often referred to as JJSS (13 February 19247 November 2006), was a French journalist and politician. He co-founded ''L'Express'' in 1953 with Françoise Giroud, and then went on to become president of the Radica ...
, President since 29 October 1969 issued from the left-wing, the party again made tentative moves to the left in the 1970s, but stopped short of an alliance with
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
(PS) leader
François Mitterrand and his
Communist allies, leading to a final split in 1972 when the remaining centre-left Radicals left the party and eventually became the
Movement of the Radical-Socialist Left. This group, which wanted to be a part of the left-wing
Common Programme, broke away to create the
Movement of the Left Radicals (MRG) and at the
1974 presidential election, supported Mitterrand, the candidate of the left-wing.
Radical Party ''valoisien''
Henceforth, the Radical Party began to be known as ''valoisien'', from the location of its national headquarters at the
Place de Valois
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road name
** Often ...
in Paris, in order to distinguish it from the MRG. Opposed to an electoral alliance with the PCF, which was the foundation of the 1972 ''Common Programme'', the Radicals were still anti-Gaullists. They allied with the
Christian Democrats
__NOTOC__
Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social ...
in the
Reforming Movement
The Reformist Movement (french: Mouvement réformateur, MR) was a French centrist political alliance created in 1971 by the Radical Party (PR) led by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, and the Christian-democratic Democratic Centre (CD) headed by ...
in order to propose another way between the Common Programme's parties and the Presidential Majority led by Gaullists. Finally, they joined it after the election of
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 the
presidency 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 is ...
in 1974. They supported most reforms of Giscard d'Estaing's presidency (in particular the authorization of the
contraceptive pill Oral contraceptives, abbreviated OCPs, also known as birth control pills, are medications taken by mouth for the purpose of birth control.
Female
Two types of female oral contraceptive pill, taken once per day, are widely available:
* The combin ...
and recognition of
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
). This evolution brought by Servan-Schreiber's influence would end with the latter's failure during the
1979 European elections.
Following the left-wing scission in 1971, the Radical Party ''valoisien'' maintained the judicial rights to the official name of Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party and is its legal continuation.
After the failure of the alliance with the Christians Democrats into the Reforming Movement, the Radical Party maintained its influence by participating in the foundation of Giscard d'Estaing's
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 ...
(UDF) in 1978. The Radical Party was one of its six components, along with the centrists of the
Centre of Social Democrats, the liberals of the
Republican Party and of the
National Federation of Perspectives and Realities Clubs The National Federation of Perspectives and Realities Clubs (''Fédération Nationale des Clubs Perspectives et Réalités'', CPR) was a centrist political movement in France.
It was founded in May 1965 by Jean-Pierre Fourcade and was a founding c ...
, the social democrats of the
Socialist-Democratic Movement and of the new members of the UDF. Through the UDF, the Radical Party participated to all of the governments issued from parliamentary majorities of the
Rally for the Republic (RPR).
Associate party of the UMP
An important split took place after the
1998 regional elections, during which some members of the party composed electoral alliances with the far-right
National Front party. Those members created the
Liberal Democratic Party while the Radical Party remained a member of the UDF. During the
2002 presidential election,
François Bayrou presented himself as a candidate for the UDF while the Radical Party supported his rival
Jacques Chirac (RPR).
After Chirac's re-election in 2002, most radicals participated to the creation of his new party, the
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right List of political parties in France, political party in France that was one of the two major party, major contemporary political pa ...
(UMP). The Radical Party then quit the UDF to associate itself with the UMP, sharing its memberships and budget with the latter. However, some members such as
Thierry Cornillet
Thierry Cornillet (born 23 July 1951 in Montélimar, Drôme) is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-east of France. He is a member of the Union for French Democracy, which is part of the Alliance of Liberals a ...
continue to be part of UDF. It was then headed by
Jean-Louis Borloo
Jean-Louis Marie Borloo (; born 7 April 1951) is a French politician who served as president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) from 2012 to 2014. He also was Minister of the Economy, Finance and Employment in 2007 and Minister of ...
and
André Rossinot
André Rossinot (born 22 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party.
Between 1978 and 1997, he was a member of the French National Assembly. From 1993 until 1995 ...
.
After the rise of
Nicolas Sarkozy to the leadership of the UMP, Radicals launched a sort of re-foundation of their party in order to create a counterbalancing moderate and social wing within the UMP. The party soon started to attract other centrists (as Jean-Louis Borloo,
Renaud Dutreil
Renaud Dutreil (born 12 June 1960) is a graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Sciences, École Normale Supérieure and École Nationale d'Administration in Paris. He was Lauréat du Concours Général de Philosophie in 1978.
Dutreil se ...
,
Véronique Mathieu
Véronique Mathieu (born 28 October 1955 in Nancy, France, Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle) is a French politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 until 2014, representing the East of France. She is a member of the Radical ...
and
Françoise Hostalier
Françoise Hostalier (born August 19, 1953 in Beauvais, Oise) was a member of the National Assembly of France. She represented Nord's 15th constituency from 2002 to 2012.
She campaigned for François Fillon in the first round of the 2017 Fre ...
) and even some anti-Sarkozy neo-Gaullists (as
Serge Lepeltier
Serge Lepeltier (born 12 October 1953 in Le Veurdre, Allier) is a French politician.
He studied at HEC Paris.
He was mayor of Bourges in 1995 and again in 2001. He was elected senator of the Cher ''département'' on 27 September 1998.
...
and
Alain Ferry). As a result, the Radical Party had a comeback in French politics. It then had 21 deputies (four more from those elected in 2002), 6 senators (two more from 2002), 4 MEPs and 8,000 members. Jean-Louis Borloo was a high-ranking minister in
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 ...
's second government as
Minister of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Transport and
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
from 2007 to 2010, when he chose not take part to Fillon's third government. It was the first time since 1974 that Radicals were not represented in a centre-right government.
During the
7th term of the European Parliament, three Radical
MEPs
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
sat with the
European People's Party Group
The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes it also includes independent MEP ...
(EPP) along with the UMP.
The Alliance
On 7 April 2011, Borloo announced the creation of a centrist coalition. During a party congress on 14–15 May, the Radicals decided to cut their ties with Sarkozy's
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right List of political parties in France, political party in France that was one of the two major party, major contemporary political pa ...
(UMP), of which they had been an associate party since 2002. During a convention on 26 June, the party officially joined
The Alliance (ARES) alongside
New Centre
The Centrists (french: Les Centristes, LC), formerly known as New Centre (''Nouveau Centre'', NC) and European Social Liberal Party (''Parti Social Libéral Européen'', PSLE), is a centre-right political party in France formed by the members of ...
and other centrist parties as an alternative to the UMP. The Alliance was replaced with the
Union of Democrats and Independents
The Union of Democrats and Independents (french: Union des démocrates et indépendants, UDI) is a centre to centre-right political party in France and former electoral alliance founded on 18 September 2012 on the basis of the parliamentary grou ...
(UDI) in September 2012.
During the
8th European Parliament
The eighth European Parliament was elected in the 2014 elections and lasted until the 2019 elections.
Major events
* 22–25 May 2014
** Elections to the Eighth Parliament.
* 1 July 2014
** First meeting (constitutive session) of the Eighth Pa ...
, the single Radical MEP
Dominique Riquet
Dominique Riquet (born 18 September 1946 in Valenciennes, Nord) is a French surgeon and politician of the Radical Party who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since the 2009 European election, representing the Nort ...
sat with the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group as part of the UDI.
Elected officials
*
Deputies
A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
:
Alfred Almont
Alfred Almont (born 15 September 1944 in Schœlcher, Martinique) is a member of the National Assembly of France as a representative of the island of Martinique. A member of the French Radical Party, Almont works in association with the Union ...
(Martinique),
Edwige Antier
Edwige Antier (born 15 May 1942) is a French paediatrician and former politician. She was one of two women elected to the Territorial Assembly of New Caledonia in 1977, the territory's first female legislators. She was served in the French Nati ...
(Paris),
Jean-Louis Bernard (Loiret),
Jean-Louis Borloo
Jean-Louis Marie Borloo (; born 7 April 1951) is a French politician who served as president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) from 2012 to 2014. He also was Minister of the Economy, Finance and Employment in 2007 and Minister of ...
(Nord),
Claire Bouchet
Claire Bouchet (born 9 January 1954) is a French politician of the Radical Movement who served as Member of Parliament for Hautes-Alpes's 2nd constituency from 2020 to 2022.
Early life
Bouchet was born in Gap, Hautes-Alpes.
Political caree ...
(Hautes-Alpes),
Alain Ferry (Bas-Rhin),
Jean Grenet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques),
Laurent Hénart (Meurthe-et-Moselle),
Françoise Hostalier
Françoise Hostalier (born August 19, 1953 in Beauvais, Oise) was a member of the National Assembly of France. She represented Nord's 15th constituency from 2002 to 2012.
She campaigned for François Fillon in the first round of the 2017 Fre ...
(Nord),
Yves Jégo
Yves Jégo (; born 17 April 1961) is a French politician. He was '' député'' for the third constituency of Seine-et-Marne in the National Assembly from 2002 to 2018, and Mayor of Montereau-Fault-Yonne.
He was the general delegate of the U ...
(Seine-et-Marne),
Robert Lecou (Hérault),
Jean Leonetti
Jean Leonetti (born 9 July 1948) is a French politician and former president of The Republicans. He represented Alpes-Maritimes's 7th constituency at the National Assembly from 1997 to 2011 and again from 2012 to 2017, as a member of the R ...
(Alpes-Maritimes),
François Loos (Bas-Rhin),
Alain Marc
Alain Marc (born 29 January 1957) is a member of the French Senate, who represents the department of Aveyron.
He was elected to the Senate on 28 September 2014. Marc served in the National Assembly of France
The National Assembly (french ...
(Aveyron),
Franck Marlin (Essonne),
Frédéric Reiss (Bas-Rhin),
Franck Reynier
Franck Reynier (born 20 October 1965 in Montélimar, Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, i ...
(Drôme),
Arnaud Richard (Yvelines),
François Scellier (Val-d'Oise),
André Wojciechowski (Moselle),
Michel Zumkeller
Michel Zumkeller (born 21 January 1966 in Belfort) is a French politician of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), part of the Radical Party, who has been serving as a member of the National Assembly of France, representing the Territoir ...
(Territoire de Belfort)
*
Senators:
Jean-Paul Alduy (Pyrénées-Orientales),
Alain Chatillon (Haute-Garonnne),
Sylvie Goy-Chavent (Ain),
Pierre Jarlier (Cantal),
Sophie Joissains
Sophie Joissains (born 25 October 1969) is a French politician and a member of the Senate of France. She represents the Bouches-du-Rhône department and is a member of the Radical Party.
Early life
Sophie Joissains was born on 25 October 1969 ...
(Bouches-du-Rhône),
Aymeri de Montesquiou
Aymeri de Montesquiou-Fezensac (born 7 July 1942 in Marsan, Gers) was a member of the Senate of France, representing the Gers department. (Gers)
*
MEPs
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
:
Dominique Riquet
Dominique Riquet (born 18 September 1946 in Valenciennes, Nord) is a French surgeon and politician of the Radical Party who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since the 2009 European election, representing the Nort ...
(Nord-Ouest)
Leadership
Party presidents:
*
Gustave Mesureur
Gustave Émile Eugène Mesureur (2 April 1847 – 19 August 1925) was a French politician. He was born in Marcq-en-Barœul (Nord) on 2 April 1847. He worked as a designer in Paris, and became prominent as a member of the municipal council of Paris ...
(1901–1902)
*
Jean Dubief (1902–1903)
*
Maurice Fauré
Maurice Faure (26 June 1859 – 1945) was a French sports shooter. He competed at the 1906 Intercalated Games and the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won a bronze medal at the 1906 Intercalated Games. He was also awarded a retrospective silver med ...
(1903–1904)
*
Maurice Berteaux (1904–1905)
*
Émile Combes
Émile Justin Louis Combes (; 6 September 183525 May 1921) was a French statesman and freemason who led the Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 to January 1905.
Career
Émile Combes was born in Roquecourbe, Tarn. He studied for the pri ...
(1905–1906)
*
Camille Pelletan
Charles Camille Pelletan (28 June 1846 – 4 June 1915) was a French politician, historian and journalist, Minister of Marine in Emile Combes' ''Bloc des gauches'' (Left-Wing Blocks) cabinet from 1902 to 1905. He was part of the left-wing of th ...
(1906–1907)
*
Auguste Delpech (1907–1908)
*
Louis Lafferre (1908–1909)
*
Ernest Vallé
Ernest Vallé (19 September 1845 – 24 January 1920) was a French lawyer and politician who was Minister of Justice from 1902 to 1905.
Early years (1845–89)
Ernest Vallé was born on 19 September 1845 in Avize, Marne.
For his secondary educat ...
(1909–1910)
*
Émile Combes
Émile Justin Louis Combes (; 6 September 183525 May 1921) was a French statesman and freemason who led the Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 to January 1905.
Career
Émile Combes was born in Roquecourbe, Tarn. He studied for the pri ...
(1910–1913)
*
Joseph Caillaux
Joseph-Marie–Auguste Caillaux (; 30 March 1863 Le Mans – 22 November 1944 Mamers) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He was a leader of the French Radical Party and Minister of Finance, but his progressive views in opposition ...
(1913–1917)
*
Charles Debierre (1917–1918)
*
André Renard (1918–1919)
*
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 f ...
(1919–1920)
*
Maurice Sarraut
Maurice Sarraut (22 September 1869 in Bordeaux – 2 December 1943) was a French journalist and politician. He was the older brother of Albert Sarraut.
Sarraut was then committed to the newspaper '' La Dépêche de Toulouse'' while he was traini ...
(1920–1927)
*
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 Carpe ...
(1927–1931)
*
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 f ...
(1931–1936)
*
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 Carpe ...
(1936–1944)
*
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 f ...
(1944–1957)
*
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 Carpe ...
(1957–1958)
*
Félix Gaillard (1958–1961)
*
Maurice Faure
Maurice Faure (2 January 1922 – 6 March 2014) was a member of the French Resistance and a minister in several French governments. He was born in Azerat, Dordogne.
He was a deputy in the French parliament from 1951 to 1983 and a Senator from ...
(1961–1965)
*
René Billères
René Billères (29 August 1910 in Ger, Hautes-Pyrénées – 2 October 2004 in Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées) was a French politician.
Billères served as a Radical deputy for the Hautes-Pyrénées from 1946 till 1973 and Senator for the same dep ...
(1965–1969)
*
Maurice Faure
Maurice Faure (2 January 1922 – 6 March 2014) was a member of the French Resistance and a minister in several French governments. He was born in Azerat, Dordogne.
He was a deputy in the French parliament from 1951 to 1983 and a Senator from ...
(1969–1971)
*
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, often referred to as JJSS (13 February 19247 November 2006), was a French journalist and politician. He co-founded ''L'Express'' in 1953 with Françoise Giroud, and then went on to become president of the Radica ...
(1971–1975)
*
Gabriel Péronnet (1975–1977)
*
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, often referred to as JJSS (13 February 19247 November 2006), was a French journalist and politician. He co-founded ''L'Express'' in 1953 with Françoise Giroud, and then went on to become president of the Radica ...
(1977–1979)
*
Didier Bariani (1979–1983)
*
André Rossinot
André Rossinot (born 22 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party.
Between 1978 and 1997, he was a member of the French National Assembly. From 1993 until 1995 ...
(1983–1988)
*
Yves Galland (1988–1993)
*
André Rossinot
André Rossinot (born 22 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party.
Between 1978 and 1997, he was a member of the French National Assembly. From 1993 until 1995 ...
(1993–1997)
*
Thierry Cornillet
Thierry Cornillet (born 23 July 1951 in Montélimar, Drôme) is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-east of France. He is a member of the Union for French Democracy, which is part of the Alliance of Liberals a ...
(1997–1999)
*
François Loos (1999–2003)
*
André Rossinot
André Rossinot (born 22 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party.
Between 1978 and 1997, he was a member of the French National Assembly. From 1993 until 1995 ...
(2003–2005)
*
Jean-Louis Borloo
Jean-Louis Marie Borloo (; born 7 April 1951) is a French politician who served as president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) from 2012 to 2014. He also was Minister of the Economy, Finance and Employment in 2007 and Minister of ...
and
André Rossinot
André Rossinot (born 22 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party.
Between 1978 and 1997, he was a member of the French National Assembly. From 1993 until 1995 ...
(co-presidents, 2005–2007)
*
Jean-Louis Borloo
Jean-Louis Marie Borloo (; born 7 April 1951) is a French politician who served as president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) from 2012 to 2014. He also was Minister of the Economy, Finance and Employment in 2007 and Minister of ...
(2007–2014)
*
Laurent Hénart (since 2014)
See also
*
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 ...
*
Liberalism and radicalism in France
Further reading
* Botsiou Konstantina E. "The European Centre-Right and European Integration: The Formative Years," in ''Reforming Europe'' (2009
online abstract* De Tarr, F. ''The French Radical Party: from Herriot to Mendès-France'' (1980)
* Larmour, Peter. ''The French Radical Party in the 1930s'' (1964)
* Mayeur, Jean-Marie, and Madeleine Rebérioux. ''The Third Republic from its origins to the Great War, 1871-1914'' (1988)
* O'Neill, Francis. ''The French Radical Party and European integration 1949-1957'' (1979).
* Schlesinger, Mildred. "The Development of the Radical Party in the Third Republic: The New Radical Movement, 1926-32." ''Journal of Modern History'' (1974): 476-501
in JSTOR
In French
* Berstein, Serge. "La vie du Parti radical: la fédération de Saône-et-Loire de 1919 à 1939." ''Revue française de science politique'' (1970): 1136-1180
online
References
External links
*
{{French political parties
Political parties of the French Fifth Republic
Republicanism in France
Defunct political parties in France
Liberal parties in France
Centrist parties in France
Political parties established in 1901
Political parties disestablished in 2017
Political parties established in 2021
Radical parties in France
Republican parties
Political parties of the French Third Republic
1901 establishments in France
2017 disestablishments in France