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 political ideology ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. 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 Reco ...
tradition, the Radical Party upheld the principles of
private property
Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property and personal property, which is owned by a state entity, and from collective or ...
,
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...
and
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
. 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
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) 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 l ...
. 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 c ...
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 ...
(PRG). The Radical Party then affiliated with the
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
, 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 c ...
(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 political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Social ...
(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 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.
After the 2017
presidential
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...
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 as p ...
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-liberal political party in France.
The party aimed at being an "alter ...
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 Sept ...
) a year later, when the movement decided to ally
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 ...
's
La République 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 ...
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 peopl ...
. In 2021 its president
Laurent Hénart
Laurent Hénart (born 15 October 1968) is a French politician who is the president of the Radical Party (France), Radical Party. He was a member of the National Assembly of France and represented the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.
Before the Rep ...
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 Bourbon Restoration may refer to:
France under the House of Bourbon:
* Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815)
Spain under the Spanish Bourbons:
* ...
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 slog ...
,
civil liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...
(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
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 a ...
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. Alth ...
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 Europea ...
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 ...
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 Belleville (French, literally "beautiful town") may refer to:
Places Canada
* Belleville, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Wakefield Parish
* Belleville, Nova Scotia
* Belleville, Ontario
France
* Belleville, Deux-Sèvres, in the ...
(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
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
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 a ...
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 Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...
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 centu ...
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 re ...
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 protection, 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 Welfare, soci ...
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 Wal ...
'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
The Independent Radicals (french: Radicaux indépendants) were a centrist or conservative-liberal political current during the French Third Republic. It was slightly to the right of the more famous Radical-Socialist Party, and shared much of it ...
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
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures.
The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...
.
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
Emil or Emile may refer to:
Literature
*''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
*Émile (novel), ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life
*''Emil an ...
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
A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...
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 pries ...
' 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 pries ...
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 ...
, were generally a moderate centre-left party faced with the governmental dominance of the socially-conservative liberal parties to its right (see
Independent Radicals
The Independent Radicals (french: Radicaux indépendants) were a centrist or conservative-liberal political current during the French Third Republic. It was slightly to the right of the more famous Radical-Socialist Party, and shared much of it ...
and
Democratic Alliance) and pressure from its left by the rise of support for the socialist
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) 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 Unit ...
(PCF). With these political forces, Radical-Socialists shared
anti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...
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
Traditionalism is the adherence to traditional beliefs or practices. It may also refer to:
Religion
* Traditional religion, a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group
* Traditionalism (19th-century Catholicism), a 19th–cen ...
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
Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the provin ...
, 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 Carpentr ...
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
Camille Chautemps (1 February 1885 – 1 July 1963) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister).
He was the father-in-law of U.S. politician and statesman Howard J. ...
'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
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 ...
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, lin ...
(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 Nazi Germany, Germany, the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Fa ...
which handed over
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
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
, long_name = Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27337, Moskau, Stalin und Ribbentrop im Kreml.jpg
, image_width = 200
, caption = Stalin and Ribbentrop shaking ...
between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Daladier engaged in an
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
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 Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
, the French army being overwhelmed by the Nazi ''
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...
'', 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 prefectur ...
. 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 to ...
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 World ...
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 terr ...
. 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
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 ...
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 World ...
, 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
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 ...
(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
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 ...
supported it. Because of the start of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, 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 Unit ...
(PCF), which was very popular due to its role during the
Resistance
Resistance may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm:
** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title
** ''T ...
(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
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 ...
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
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
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
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 ...
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 Radical ...
, 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 th ...
(PS) leader
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 ...
and his
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
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 tea ...
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 Je ...
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 c ...
(UDF) in 1978. The Radical Party was one of its six components, along with the centrists of the
Centre of Social Democrats
The Centre of Social Democrats (''Centre des démocrates sociaux'', CDS; also translated as ''Democratic and Social Centre'') was a Christian-democratic and centrist political party in France. It existed from 1976 to 1995 and was based directly a ...
, the liberals of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
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
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 ...
(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
François René Jean Lucien Bayrou (; born 25 May 1951) is a French politician who has presided over the Democratic Movement (MoDem) since he founded it in 2007. A centrist, he was a candidate in the 2002, 2007 and 2012 presidential elections. ...
presented himself as a candidate for the UDF while the Radical Party supported his rival
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 ...
(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 political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Social ...
(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
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 ...
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.
He w ...
and
Alain Ferry
Alain Ferry (born 3 February 1952) is a French politician. A member of the Radical Party, he represented the 6th constituency of the Bas-Rhin in the National Assembly for over 19 years, from 2 April 1993 to 19 June 2012. He has been the mayor ...
). 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 o ...
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 Member of the European Parliament, deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes ...
(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 political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Social ...
(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 t ...
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 Centrism, centre to Centre-right politics, centre-right list of political parties in France, political party in France and former Electoral alliance ...
(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 North-We ...
sat with the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...
(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 Natio ...
(Paris),
Jean-Louis Bernard
Jean-Louis Bernard (31 March 1938 – 25 March 2020) was a member of the National Assembly of France. and represented the Loiret department. He was born in Saulieu, Côte-d'Or, and was a member of the Radical Party and worked in associatio ...
(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
Alain Ferry (born 3 February 1952) is a French politician. A member of the Radical Party, he represented the 6th constituency of the Bas-Rhin in the National Assembly for over 19 years, from 2 April 1993 to 19 June 2012. He has been the mayor ...
(Bas-Rhin),
Jean Grenet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques),
Laurent Hénart
Laurent Hénart (born 15 October 1968) is a French politician who is the president of the Radical Party (France), Radical Party. He was a member of the National Assembly of France and represented the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.
Before the Rep ...
(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 ''Deputy (legislator), député'' for the Seine-et-Marne's 3rd constituency, third constituency of Seine-et-Marne in the National Assembly (France), National Assembly from 2002 ...
(Seine-et-Marne),
Robert Lecou (Hérault),
Jean Leonetti
Jean Leonetti (born 9 July 1948) is a French politician and former president of The Republicans (France), The Republicans. He represented Alpes-Maritimes's 7th constituency at the National Assembly from 1997 to 2011 and again from 2012 to 20 ...
(Alpes-Maritimes),
François Loos
François Loos (born 24 December 1953) was appointed Minister Delegate for Industry on 2 June 2005, following a term as Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade (June 2002 to May 2005). He was Minister Delegate for Higher Education & Research in the fi ...
(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
Franck Marlin (born September 30, 1964) was a Member of Parliament of the National Assembly of France. He represented the 2nd constituency of the Essonne département,
Marlin was born in Orléans, Loiret, and is a member of the Republicans. ...
(Essonne),
Frédéric Reiss
Frédéric Reiss (born 12 November 1949) is a French teacher and politician of the the Republicans (France), Republicans who has been serving as a member of the National Assembly of France since the 2002 French legislative election, 2002 electi ...
(Bas-Rhin),
Franck Reynier
Franck Reynier (born 20 October 1965 in Montélimar, Drôme) was a member of the National Assembly of France. He represented Drôme's 2nd constituency, and has been the vice president of the Radical Party since 2007.
He lost his seat to Al ...
(Drôme),
Arnaud Richard Arnaud may refer to:
People
* Arnaud (given name) or Arnauld (formerly Arnoul), the French form of the German given name Arnold
* Arnaud (surname) or Arnauld (formerly Arnoul), the French form of the name Arnold
* Arnauld family, a noble French f ...
(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 (France), Radical Party, who has been serving as a member of the National Assembly of France, rep ...
(Territoire de Belfort)
*
Senators:
Jean-Paul Alduy
Jean-Paul Alduy (born 7 May 1942) is a French politician. He is member of the Senate of France, representing the department of Pyrénées-Orientales as well as the president of the Urban Community of Mediterranean Perpignan. An engineer by profe ...
(Pyrénées-Orientales),
Alain Chatillon
Alain Chatillon (born 15 March 1943) is a member of the Senate of France. He represents the Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named aft ...
(Haute-Garonnne),
Sylvie Goy-Chavent
Sylvie Goy-Chavent, born Sylvie Chavant (born 23 May 1963 in Dunkirk) is a French politician and a member of the Senate of France. She represents the Ain department and is a member of the Radical Party. From 1995 to 2017 she was also the Mayor ...
(Ain),
Pierre Jarlier
Pierre Jarlier (born 14 July 1954) is a French politician and a former member of the Senate of France. He represented the Cantal
Cantal (; oc, Cantal or ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, with its prefecture in ...
(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 North-We ...
(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
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jean ...
(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
Henri Maurice Berteaux (3 June 1852 – 21 May 1911) was the Minister of War in France from 14 November 1904 to 12 November 1905, and from 2 March 1911 until his accidental death on 21 May 1911.
Biography
Berteaux was born at Saint-Maur-des-F ...
(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 pries ...
(1905–1906)
*
Camille Pelletan
Charles Camille Pelletan (28 June 1846 – 4 June 1915) was a French politician, historian and journalist, Minister of Marine (France), Minister of Marine in Emile Combes' ''Bloc des gauches'' (Left-Wing Blocks) cabinet from 1902 to 1905. He was ...
(1906–1907)
*
Auguste Delpech (1907–1908)
*
Louis Lafferre
Louis Lafferre (10 May 1861 – 28 February 1929) was a French politician. He belonged to the Radical Party.
Lafferre was born in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and began his political career as a local councillor in Narbonne
Narbonne (, als ...
(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 pries ...
(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
André Renard (25 May 191120 July 1962) was a Belgian trade union leader who, in the aftermath of World War II, became an influential figure within the Walloon Movement.
Born into a working-class family, Renard was as a metalworker in the Li ...
(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 ...
(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 trainin ...
(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 Carpentr ...
(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 ...
(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 Carpentr ...
(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 ...
(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 Carpentr ...
(1957–1958)
*
Félix Gaillard
Félix Gaillard d'Aimé (;
5 November 1919 – 10 July 1970) was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister under the Fourth Republic from 1957 to 1958. He was the youngest head of a French government since Napoleon.
Career
A ...
(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 Radical ...
(1971–1975)
*
Gabriel Péronnet
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
(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 Radical ...
(1977–1979)
*
Didier Bariani
__NOTOC__
Didier is a French language, French masculine given name and surname common throughout the Romance languages. It comes from the Ancient Roman names Didius and Desiderius (given name), Desiderius. During the 5th century AD, with the Christ ...
(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
François Loos (born 24 December 1953) was appointed Minister Delegate for Industry on 2 June 2005, following a term as Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade (June 2002 to May 2005). He was Minister Delegate for Higher Education & Research in the fi ...
(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
Laurent Hénart (born 15 October 1968) is a French politician who is the president of the Radical Party (France), Radical Party. He was a member of the National Assembly of France and represented the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.
Before the Rep ...
(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
Liberalism and radicalism in France refer to different movements and ideologies. The main line of conflict in France during the 19th century was between monarchists (mainly Legitimists and Orléanists but also Bonapartists) and republicans ( Rad ...
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