The Union des nationaux indépendants et républicains (UNIR, Union of Independent and Republican Nationals or National Unity and Independent Republicans), was a political movement launched during the

1951 French legislative election Legislative elections were held in France on 17 June 1951 to elect the second National Assembly of the Fourth Republic. After the Second World War, the three parties which took a major part in the French Resistance to the German occupation dom ...

by Jacques Isorni and other nostalgic supporters of the

Vichy Government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

.National Assembly: Jacques Isorni
/ref> Officially apolitical, UNIR adhered to a minimal political platform: "to obtain the revision of the

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

Marshal Pétain Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

and his rehabilitation, as well as the moral and material reparation for all French citizens unjustly condemned by exceptional courts." Its general secretary, Roger de Saivre, had previously campaigned in the 1948 elections to the Algerian Assembly under the slogan, "''Voting for de Saivre is voting for Pétain''"—a campaign that secured 20% of the vote.National Assembly: Roger de Saivre
/ref> Upon its creation, UNIR received support from the Association for the Defense of Marshal Pétain's Memory and the Union of Independent Intellectuals. During the 1951 election, UNIR succeeded in electing several deputies, three under the UNIR label: Jacques Isorni in Paris, Roger de Saivre in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, and Jacques Le Roy Ladurie in

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...

.National Assembly: Jacques, Jules, Marie, Joseph Le Roy Ladurie
/ref> Additionally, Paul Estèbe, a former member of the

Republican Party of Liberty The Republican Party of Liberty (, PRL) was a centre-right to right-wing French political party founded after the Liberation of France on 22 December 1945 by Joseph Laniel, André Mutter, Édouard Frédéric-Dupont and Jules Ramarony. It w ...

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

, ran under the broader Rally of French Republican and Independent Groups banner, along with Georges Loustaunau-Lacau who won as an independent.. Initially,

Paul Reynaud Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his economic liberalism and vocal opposition to Nazi Germany. Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of Septembe ...

opposed the integration of UNIR deputies into the parliamentary group of the

National Centre of Independents and Peasants The National Centre of Independents and Peasants (, ; CNIP) is a right-wing agrarian political party in France, founded in 1951 by the merger of the National Centre of Independents (CNI), the heir of the French Republican conservative-liberal ...

(CNIP). As a result, they first aligned themselves with the Peasant Party of Social Union before ultimately joining the CNIP parliamentary group. Shortly thereafter, UNIR merged into the CNIP political party.

Notes and References

Further reading