The Centre républicain was a

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

parliamentary group in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

of the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

from 1932 to 1936. The group was critical of

parliamentarism A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of the legisl ...

and advocated for plebiscitary democracy and a strong executive.

History

The Centre républicain was established in 1932 by

André Tardieu André Pierre Gabriel Amédée Tardieu (; 22 September 1876 – 15 September 1945) was three times Prime Minister of France (3 November 1929 – 17 February 1930; 2 March – 4 December 1930; 20 February – 10 May 1932) and a dominant figure of ...

after his unsuccessful attempt to take control of the

Democratic Republican Alliance The Democratic Alliance (, AD), originally called Democratic Republican Alliance (, ARD), was a French political party created in 1901 by followers of Léon Gambetta such as Raymond Poincaré, who would be president of the Council in the 1920s. ...

, in order to transform it into a large

liberal-conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...

party. Positioned firmly on the right, the group dissolved after the 1936 elections when Tardieu failed to retain his seat.

Ideology

The group aligned with the principles laid out in Tardieu's book, *Réforme de l'État*. These included removing the right of the Parliament to initiate expenditures, creating the position of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

, granting the Prime Minister the power to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies, enfranchising women, and advocating for the use of referendums. Criticism of parliamentary dominance in interwar France was not exclusive to the Centre républicain: *

Charles Maurras Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet and critic. He was an organiser and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that was monarchist, corporatis ...

and the

Action française ''Action Française'' (, AF; ) is a French far-right monarchist and nationalist political movement. The name was also given to a journal associated with the movement, '' L'Action Française'', sold by its own youth organization, the Camelot ...

opposed parliamentary governance, advocating for a

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

underpinned by decentralization. * The

Ligue de la jeune République The Young Republic League (, LJR) was a French political party created in 1912 by Marc Sangnier. It was a continuation of '' Le Sillon'', Sangnier's Christian social movement which Pope Pius X (1835–1914) had intervened to close in 1910. The ...

supported state reform and aligned with

Pierre Mendès France Pierre Isaac Isidore Mendès France (; 11 January 190718 October 1982) was a French politician who served as prime minister of France for eight months from 1954 to 1955. As a member of the Radical Party, he headed a government supported by a c ...

post-World War II. * The Jeunes Turcs of the Radical Party also sought reform and later backed Mendès France. These movements influenced the foundation of the Fifth Republic.

Members

Below is a summary of notable members of the Centre républicain:

References

{{reflist Political parties of the French Third Republic Political parties established in 1932 Political parties disestablished in 1936 Right-wing parties in France Opportunist Republicans Defunct political parties in France Parliamentary groups in France