Liberalism and radicalism in France
Encyclopedia
Liberalism and radicalism in France do not form the same type of ideology. In fact, the main line of conflict in France during the 19th century
was between monarchist
opponents of the Republic
(mainly Legitimists
and Orleanists, but also Bonapartists
) and supporters of the Republic (Radical-Socialists, "Opportunist Republicans
", and later Socialists
). Thus, while the Orleanists favored constitutional monarchy
and economic liberalism
, they were opposed to the Republican Radicals.
However, the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (now divided into the center-right Radical Party and the center-left Radical Party of the Left), and, above all, the Republican parties (Democratic Republican Alliance
, Republican Federation, National Center of Independents and Peasants, Independent Republicans
, Republican Party
, Liberal Democracy
) have since embraced liberalism, including in its economic version, and nowadays many of these components are active in the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement
.
in France were:
In France, as in much of Southern Europe, the word liberal was used during the 19th century either to refer to the traditional liberal anti-clericalism
or to economic liberalism
.
Political liberalism in France was long associated more with the Orleanists and with Republicans in general, then with the Radical Party, leading to the use of the term radicals to refer to the political liberal tradition, and the centre-right Democratic Republican Alliance
.
The French Radicals tended to be more statist than most European liberals, but shared the liberal values on other issues, in particular a strong support for individual liberty and secularism, while Republicans were more keen to economic liberalism and less enthusiastic for secularism.
After World War II, the Republicans gathered in the liberal-conservative National Center of Independents and Peasants, from which the conservative-liberal Independent Republicans
was formed in 1962. The original centre-left Radical Party was a declining force in French politics until 1972 when it joined the centre-right, causing the split of the left-wing faction and the foundation of the Radical Party of the Left, closely associated to the Socialist Party
. The former is now associated with the Union for a Popular Movement
.
In 1978 both the Republican Party
(successor of the Independent Republicans) and the Radical Party were founding components, alongside the Christian-democratic Democratic Centre
, of the Union for French Democracy
, an alliance of liberal, Christian democratic, and non-Gaullist
centre-right forces.
The Republican Party, re-founded as Liberal Democracy
and re-shaped as a free-market libertarian
party, left the UDF in 1998 to form a separate party. It merged into the conservative Union for a Popular Movement
, of which it represents the libertarian wing. In addition, the Radical Party left the UDF in 2002 in order to join the UMP, of which it is the main social-liberal
component, as an associate party. In some ways, the Republican and the Radical traditions are now re-composed in the UMP, which embraces a soft form of neo-liberalism.
the following French thinkers are included:
France in the nineteenth century
The History of France from 1789 to 1914 extends from the French Revolution to World War I and includes:*French Revolution *French First Republic *First French Empire under Napoleon...
was between monarchist
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
opponents of the Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
(mainly Legitimists
Legitimists
Legitimists are royalists in France who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession of the descendants of the elder branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They reject the claim of the July Monarchy of 1830–1848, whose kings were members of the junior...
and Orleanists, but also Bonapartists
Bonapartism
Bonapartism is often defined as a political expression in the vocabulary of Marxism and Leninism, deriving from the career of Napoleon Bonaparte. Karl Marx was a student of Jacobinism and the French Revolution as well as a contemporary critic of the Second Republic and Second Empire...
) and supporters of the Republic (Radical-Socialists, "Opportunist Republicans
Opportunist Republicans
The Opportunist Republicans , also known as the Moderates , were a faction of French Republicans who believed, after the proclamation of the Third Republic in 1870, that the regime could only be consolidated by successive phases...
", and later Socialists
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
). Thus, while the Orleanists favored constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
and economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
, they were opposed to the Republican Radicals.
However, the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (now divided into the center-right Radical Party and the center-left Radical Party of the Left), and, above all, the Republican parties (Democratic Republican Alliance
Democratic Republican Alliance
The Democratic Republican Alliance 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...
, Republican Federation, National Center of Independents and Peasants, Independent Republicans
Independent Republicans
The Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
, Republican Party
Republican Party (France)
The Republican Party was a French right-wing political party founded in 1977. It replaced the National Federation of the Independent Republicans that was founded in 1966. It was created by former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing...
, Liberal Democracy
Liberal Democracy (France)
Liberal Democracy was a French political party that advocated conservative liberalism and liberal conservatism, headed by Alain Madelin. The party replaced in 1997 the Republican Party, which was the classical liberal component of the Union for French Democracy .It became independent in 1998,...
) have since embraced liberalism, including in its economic version, and nowadays many of these components are active in the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
.
Background
The early high points of liberalismLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
in France were:
- the period from approximately 1790 to 1792 when the politics of the liberal GirondistGirondistThe Girondists were a political faction in France within the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention during the French Revolution...
s and FeuillantFeuillantFeuillant, a French word derived from the Latin for leaf, has been used as a tag by two different groups:*Feuillant *Feuillant ...
s dominated the early portion of the French RevolutionFrench RevolutionThe French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. - the Revolution of 1848.
In France, as in much of Southern Europe, the word liberal was used during the 19th century either to refer to the traditional liberal anti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious institutional power and influence, real or alleged, in all aspects of public and political life, and the involvement of religion in the everyday life of the citizen...
or to economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
.
Political liberalism in France was long associated more with the Orleanists and with Republicans in general, then with the Radical Party, leading to the use of the term radicals to refer to the political liberal tradition, and the centre-right Democratic Republican Alliance
Democratic Republican Alliance
The Democratic Republican Alliance 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...
.
The French Radicals tended to be more statist than most European liberals, but shared the liberal values on other issues, in particular a strong support for individual liberty and secularism, while Republicans were more keen to economic liberalism and less enthusiastic for secularism.
After World War II, the Republicans gathered in the liberal-conservative National Center of Independents and Peasants, from which the conservative-liberal Independent Republicans
Independent Republicans
The Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
was formed in 1962. The original centre-left Radical Party was a declining force in French politics until 1972 when it joined the centre-right, causing the split of the left-wing faction and the foundation of the Radical Party of the Left, closely associated to the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
. The former is now associated with the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
.
In 1978 both the Republican Party
Republican Party (France)
The Republican Party was a French right-wing political party founded in 1977. It replaced the National Federation of the Independent Republicans that was founded in 1966. It was created by former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing...
(successor of the Independent Republicans) and the Radical Party were founding components, alongside the Christian-democratic Democratic Centre
Democratic Centre (France)
Democratic Centre was a French Christian-Democratic and centrist party. It existed from 1966 to 1976 when it merged with another party into the Centre of Social Democrats.- History :...
, of the Union for French Democracy
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy was a French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's...
, an alliance of liberal, Christian democratic, and non-Gaullist
Gaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
centre-right forces.
The Republican Party, re-founded as Liberal Democracy
Liberal Democracy (France)
Liberal Democracy was a French political party that advocated conservative liberalism and liberal conservatism, headed by Alain Madelin. The party replaced in 1997 the Republican Party, which was the classical liberal component of the Union for French Democracy .It became independent in 1998,...
and re-shaped as a free-market libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
party, left the UDF in 1998 to form a separate party. It merged into the conservative Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
, of which it represents the libertarian wing. In addition, the Radical Party left the UDF in 2002 in order to join the UMP, of which it is the main social-liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
component, as an associate party. In some ways, the Republican and the Radical traditions are now re-composed in the UMP, which embraces a soft form of neo-liberalism.
19th Century
- 1818: Former Feuillants formed the party of the Democrats (Démocrates), also named Liberals (Libéraux)
- 1848: A radical faction organised as the Radicals (Radicaux), which supported the French Second RepublicFrench Second RepublicThe French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the 1848 Revolution and the coup by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte which initiated the Second Empire. It officially adopted the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité...
against the liberal Orleanists.
From the Republicans to Liberal Democracy
- 1901: The moderate-liberal Democratic Republican AllianceDemocratic Republican AllianceThe Democratic Republican Alliance 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...
(Alliance Républicaine Démocratique, ARD) is founded. The party quickly became the main center-right party of the Third RepublicFrench Third RepublicThe French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
. In 1911, the party was renamed Democratic Republican Party (Parti Républicain Démocratique, PRD), further renamed in 1920 as Social and Democratic Republican Party (Parti Républicain Démocratique et Social, PRDS), and finally as the Democratic Alliance (Alliance Démocratique, AD). - 1945: The moderate-liberal Republican Party of LibertyRepublican Party of LibertyThe Republican Party of Liberty was a right-of-center French political party created at the Liberation and absorbed by the National Centre of Independents and Peasants in 1951...
(Parti Républicain de la Liberté , PRL) is founded - 1948: The liberal-conservative National Centre of Independents and PeasantsNational Centre of Independents and PeasantsThe National Centre of Independents and Peasants is a liberal-conservative and conservative-liberal political party in France, founded in 1949 by the merger of the National Centre of Independents with the...
(Centre National des Independants et Paysans, CNIP) is founded - 1949: PRL absorbed by the CNIP.
- 1954: AD (which was by now micro-party) merges into the CNIP
- 1962: The Independent RepublicansIndependent RepublicansThe Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
(Républicains indépendants, RI), led by Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
, left CNIP, after it decided to withdraw its support to President Charles de GaulleCharles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. The Independent RepublicansIndependent RepublicansThe Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
continued to support the Gaullist government until 1969. - 1977: RI was renamed the Republican PartyRepublican Party (France)The Republican Party was a French right-wing political party founded in 1977. It replaced the National Federation of the Independent Republicans that was founded in 1966. It was created by former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing...
(Parti républicain, PR). - 1978: PR joined forces with the Christian-democratic Centre of Social Democrats, the Radical Party and the Social Democratic Party to form Union for French DemocracyUnion for French DemocracyThe Union for French Democracy was a French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's...
(Union pour la démocratie française) - 1995: The Popular Party for French DemocracyPopular Party for French DemocracyThe Popular Party for French Democracy was a centrist-liberal party in France.It was launched in July 1995, as a successor to the Perspectives and Realities Clubs and as a component of the Union for French Democracy centre-right confederation...
(Parti populaire pour la démocratie française, PPDF) is formed by supporters of Giscard within the UDF (of which many Republicans). - 1997: Alain MadelinAlain MadelinAlain Madelin is a French politician and a former minister of that country.Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored 3.91% on the first round...
takes over the Republican Party and renames it Liberal DemocracyLiberal Democracy (France)Liberal Democracy was a French political party that advocated conservative liberalism and liberal conservatism, headed by Alain Madelin. The party replaced in 1997 the Republican Party, which was the classical liberal component of the Union for French Democracy .It became independent in 1998,...
(Démocratie Libérale, DL). - 1998: DL separated from the UDF, while the members of DL who rejected the separation formed the Republican Independent and Liberal Pole (Pôle républicain indépendant et libéral, PRIL), which remained loyal to the UDF.
- 2002: DL and PPDF merged with the conservative Rally for the RepublicRally for the RepublicThe Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
to form the Union for a Popular MovementUnion for a Popular MovementThe Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
(UMP), the main French right-wing party.
From the Radicals to the Radical Party
- 1848: A Radical faction of the Democrats formed the Radicals (Radicaux)
- 1901: The Radicals organised themselves in the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (Parti Républicain Radical et Radical-Socialiste, Rad)
- 1956: Dissidents formed the Republican CentreRepublican CentreThe Republican Centre was a French parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies of France during the French Third Republic founded in 1932 by André Tardieu following his failure at transforming the Democratic Alliance into a large liberal-conservative party....
and the Rally of the Republican Lefts - 1961: Pierre Mendès France, one of the main figure of the Radical Party who put an end to the Indochina War and was opposed to the Algerian WarAlgerian War of IndependenceThe Algerian War was a conflict between France and Algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria's gaining its independence from France...
(1954–62), joined the Unified Socialist PartyUnified Socialist Party (France)The Unified Socialist Party was a socialist political party in France, founded on April 3, 1960. It was originally led by Édouard Depreux , and by Michel Rocard .- History :...
(PSU), a socialistSocialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
party in favor of workers' self-managementWorkers' self-managementWorker self-management is a form of workplace decision-making in which the workers themselves agree on choices instead of an owner or traditional supervisor telling workers what to do, how to do it and where to do it...
(autogestion) - 1972: A left-wing faction formed the Movement of Left Radicals
- 1978: The party became an affiliated member of the centrist UDF
- 2002: The party became an affiliated member of the conservative UMP
Rally of Left Republicans
- 1956: Dissidents from the Radical Party formed the Rally of the Republican Lefts (Rassemblement des Gauchs Républicains)
- 1959: The party merged into the Gaullist Union for the New Republic (Union pour la Nouvelle République)
Republican Centre
- 1956: Dissidents from the Radical Party formed the Republican CentreRepublican CentreThe Republican Centre was a French parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies of France during the French Third Republic founded in 1932 by André Tardieu following his failure at transforming the Democratic Alliance into a large liberal-conservative party....
(Centre Républicain) - 1974: A faction returned to the Radical Party
- 1978: The party disappeared
From Movement of Left Radicals to Radical Party of the Left
- 1972: A left-wing faction of the Radical Party formed the Movement of Left Radicals (Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche, MRG)
- 1996: The group Reunite (Réunir) merged into the party, that is renamed Radical-Socialist Party (Parti Radical-Socialiste, PRS)
- 1998: After another court order the party is renamed Radical Party of the Left (Parti Radical de Gauche, PRG)
Liberals in the Union for a Popular Movement
- 2002: The Union for a Popular MovementUnion for a Popular MovementThe Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
was founded, with the merge of Liberal Democracy and of the Radical Party, so that UMP includes many liberals: on one side those of the ⇒ Republican tradition (re-grouped in various factions, open also to ex-RPRRally for the RepublicThe Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
politicians: The ReformersThe ReformersThe Reformers is a libertarian and liberal faction within the Union for a Popular Movement .The Reformers supported laissez-faire and a free market economy. It is led by Hervé Novelli and most members of it come from Liberal Democracy , a right-liberal party which merged into the UMP in 2002...
Hervé NovelliHervé NovelliHervé Novelli is a French politician of Italian origin, and a past member of the UDF group. He was a deputé in the Assemblée Nationale for the Indre-et-Loire département from 2002 to 2007, having previously been a député from 1993-1997...
and Gérard LonguetGérard LonguetGérard Longuet is a French conservative politician. On 27 February 2011, he became the new French Defense Minister.-Biography:...
, the "Liberal Clubs" of Alain MadelinAlain MadelinAlain Madelin is a French politician and a former minister of that country.Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored 3.91% on the first round...
, "Liberal Generation" of Pierre LellouchePierre LellouchePierre Lellouche is a French politician and a member of the Union for a Popular Movement party. He is Secretary of State for Foreign Trade under the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Christine Lagarde. He was also the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from November 2004 to 17...
and the Free Right of Rachid Kaci), on the other the Radicals and other social-liberals.
Liberal Alternative
- 2006: Liberal AlternativeLiberal AlternativeThe Liberal Alternative is a French political party created on March 1, 2006. They advocate classical liberalism against socialism or conservatism...
(Alternative Libérale), a new autonomous party, is created by classic liberals.
Liberal and radical leaders
- 19th century: Marie-Joseph Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Constant de RebecqueBenjamin ConstantHenri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque was a Swiss-born French nobleman, thinker, writer and politician.-Biography:...
, François GuizotFrançois GuizotFrançois Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848, a conservative liberal who opposed the attempt by King Charles X to usurp legislative power, and worked to sustain a constitutional...
, Adolphe ThiersAdolphe ThiersMarie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers was a French politician and historian. was a prime minister under King Louis-Philippe of France. Following the overthrow of the Second Empire he again came to prominence as the French leader who suppressed the revolutionary Paris Commune of 1871...
, Jules GrévyJules GrévyFrançois Paul Jules Grévy was a President of the French Third Republic and one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republicans faction. Given that his predecessors were monarchists who tried without success to restore the French monarchy, Grévy is seen as the first real republican President of...
, Léon GambettaLéon GambettaLéon Gambetta was a French statesman prominent after the Franco-Prussian War.-Youth and education:He is said to have inherited his vigour and eloquence from his father, a Genovese grocer who had married a Frenchwoman named Massabie. At the age of fifteen, Gambetta lost the sight of his right eye... - Democratic Republican Alliance: Émile LoubetÉmile LoubetÉmile François Loubet was a French politician and the 8th President of France.-Early life:He was born the son of a peasant proprietor and mayor of Marsanne . Admitted to the Parisian bar in 1862, he took his doctorate in law the next year...
, Armand FallièresArmand FallièresClément Armand Fallières was a French politician, president of the French republic from 1906 to 1913.He was born at Mézin in the département of Lot-et-Garonne, France, where his father was clerk of the peace...
, Paul DeschanelPaul DeschanelPaul Eugène Louis Deschanel was a French statesman. He served as President of France from 18 February 1920 to 21 September 1920.-Biography:...
, Raymond PoincaréRaymond PoincaréRaymond Poincaré was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France on five separate occasions and as President of France from 1913 to 1920. Poincaré was a conservative leader primarily committed to political and social stability...
, Louis BarthouLouis BarthouJean Louis Barthou was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Early years:He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law. Barthou was Prime Minister in 1913, and held ministerial office...
, Albert LebrunAlbert LebrunAlbert François Lebrun was a French politician, President of France from 1932 to 1940. He was the last president of the Third Republic. He was a member of the center-right Democratic Republican Alliance .-Biography:...
, André TardieuAndré TardieuAndré Pierre Gabriel Amédée Tardieu was three times Prime Minister of France and a dominant figure of French political life in 1929-1932.-Biography:...
, André MaginotAndré MaginotAndré Maginot was a French civil servant, soldier, and Member of Parliament. He is undoubtedly best known for his advocacy for the string of forts that would be known as the Maginot Line.- Early years, to World War I :...
, Pierre-Étienne Flandin - Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party / Radical Party: Émile CombesÉmile CombesÉmile Combes was a French statesman who led the Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 – January 1905.-Biography:Émile Combes was born in Roquecourbe, Tarn. He studied for the priesthood, but abandoned the idea before ordination. His anti-clericalism would later lead him into becoming a...
, Georges ClemenceauGeorges ClemenceauGeorges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
, Joseph CaillauxJoseph CaillauxJoseph-Marie–Auguste Caillaux was a major French politician of the Third Republic. The leader of the Radicals, he favored a policy of conciliation with Germany during his premiership from 1911 to 1912, which led to the maintenance of the peace during the Second Moroccan Crisis of 1911...
, Gaston DoumergueGaston DoumerguePierre-Paul-Henri-Gaston Doumergue was a French politician of the Third Republic.Doumergue came from a Protestant family. Beginning as a Radical, he turned more towards the political right in his old age. He served as Prime Minister from 9 December 1913 to 2 June 1914...
, Albert SarrautAlbert SarrautAlbert-Pierre Sarraut was a French Radical politician, twice Prime Minister during the Third Republic.Sarraut was born in Bordeaux, Gironde, France.He was Governor-General of French Indochina, from 1912 to 1919....
, Édouard HerriotÉdouard HerriotÉdouard Marie Herriot was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic who served three times as Prime Minister and for many years as President of the Chamber of Deputies....
, Henri QueuilleHenri QueuilleHenri Queuille was a French Radical politician prominent in the Third and Fourth Republics. After World War II, he served three times as Prime Minister.He was the son of a noblewoman.-First ministry :...
, Édouard DaladierÉdouard DaladierÉdouard Daladier was a French Radical politician and the Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War.-Career:Daladier was born in Carpentras, Vaucluse. Later, he would become known to many as "the bull of Vaucluse" because of his thick neck and large shoulders and determined...
, Camille ChautempsCamille ChautempsCamille Chautemps was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council .-Career:Described as "intellectually bereft", Chautemps nevertheless entered politics and became Mayor of Tours in 1912, and a Radical deputy in 1919...
, René MayerRené MayerRené Mayer was a French Radical politician of the Fourth Republic who served briefly as Prime Minister during 1953. He led the Mayer Authority from 1955 to 1958.-Mayer's Ministry, 8 January – 28 June 1953:*René Mayer – President of the Council...
, Gaston MonnervilleGaston MonnervilleGaston Monnerville was a French politician and lawyer.The grandson of a slave, he grew up in French Guiana and went to Toulouse to complete his studies. A brilliant student, he became a lawyer in 1918 and worked with César Campinchi, a lawyer who later became an influential politician...
, André MarieAndré MarieAndré Marie was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister during the Fourth Republic in 1948.-Biography:...
, Pierre Mendès France, Edgar FaureEdgar FaureEdgar Faure was a French politician, essayist, historian, and memoirist.-Career:Faure was born in Béziers, Languedoc-Roussillon. He trained as a lawyer in Paris and became a member of the Bar at 27, the youngest lawyer in France to do so at the time...
, Maurice Bourgès-MaunouryMaurice Bourgès-MaunouryMaurice Jean Marie Bourgès-Maunoury was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister in the Fourth Republic during 1957.He is famous, especially, for fulfilling prominent ministerial role in the government during the Suez Crisis....
, Françoise GiroudFrançoise GiroudFrançoise Giroud, born France Gourdji was a French journalist, screenwriter, writer and politician.-Biography:...
, Gabriel Péronnet, Félix GaillardFélix GaillardFélix Gaillard d'Aimé 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:...
, Maurice FaureMaurice FaureMaurice Faure at Azerat, Dordogne is a former member of the French Resistance and a former minister in several French governments....
, Jean-Jacques Servan-SchreiberJean-Jacques Servan-SchreiberJean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, often referred to as JJSS 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 Party in 1971...
, André RossinotAndré RossinotAndré Rossinot is a French politician. He is a medical doctor specialist in Otolaryngology. He is a member of the Radical Party....
, Jean-Paul AlduyJean-Paul AlduyJean-Paul Alduy 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 profession, he was a member of the Union for French Democracy and then the...
, Yves GallandYves GallandYves Galland, born on 8 March 1941 in Paris, is a French politician and entrepreneur.- Biography :After his studies in law, Yves Galland started his career in the world of business before also starting his political career...
, Didier Bariani, Jean-Louis BorlooJean-Louis BorlooJean-Louis Borloo is a French politician, and was the French Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning between 2007 and 2010.-Professional résumé:Education...
, Thierry CornilletThierry CornilletThierry Cornillet 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 and Democrats for Europe, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Development...
, François LoosFrançois LoosFrançois Loos was appointed Minister Delegate for Industry on 2 June 2005, following a term as Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade...
, Serge LepeltierSerge LepeltierSerge Lepeltier is a French politician.He studied at École des Hautes Études Commerciales.He was mayor of Bourges in 1995 and again in 2001...
, Renaud DutreilRenaud DutreilRenaud Dutreil , is a French politician. He was Minister for the Civil Service 2004–2005 and previously Minister for Small Businesses and Enterprise, from 2002 to 2004. He was born in Chambéry, Savoie.... - National Centre of Independents and Peasants: Paul ReynaudPaul ReynaudPaul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. He was the penultimate Prime Minister of the Third Republic and vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right...
(ex-ARD), René CotyRené CotyRené Jules Gustave Coty was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president under the French Fourth Republic.-Early life and politics:...
(ex-Rad), Joseph LanielJoseph LanielJoseph Laniel was a French conservative politician of the Fourth Republic, who served as Prime Minister for a year from 1953 to 1954. During the middle of his tenure as Prime Minister Laniel was an unsuccessful candidate for the French Presidency, a post won by René Coty...
(ex-ARD), Antoine PinayAntoine PinayAntoine Pinay |Rhône]], France – 13 December 1994) was a French conservative politician. He served as Prime Minister of France in 1952.-Life:As a young man, Pinay fought in World War I and injured his arm so that it was paralyzed for the rest of his life....
(ex-ARD), Roger Duchet, Paul Antier - Independent Republicans / Republican Party / Liberal Democracy: Louis JacquinotLouis JacquinotLouis Jacquinot was a French lawyer and politician, and chief of Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré's office.Jacquinot was born in Gondrecourt-le-Château in 1898. Entering parliament in 1932, he later served for a short time as under-secretary of state for home affairs in Paul Reynaud's cabinet...
(ex-CNIP), Raymond Mondon (ex-CNIP), Raymond MarcellinRaymond MarcellinRaymond Marcellin was a French politician.- Biography :The son of a banker, he studied law at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris. He worked as a lawyer for three years, before being called into the army in September 1939. He was captured by the Wehrmacht, but managed to...
(ex-CNIP), Jean de BroglieJean de BrogliePrince Jean Marie François Ferdinand de Broglie was a French politician.Born in Paris, he was one of the negotiators of the Évian Accords....
(ex-CNIP), Michel PoniatowskiMichel PoniatowskiMichel Poniatowski was a Polish Prince and French politician. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior in the d'Estaing government...
(ex-CNIP), Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
(ex-CNIP), Simone VeilSimone VeilSimone Veil, DBE is a French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Health under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France....
, Jean-Pierre SoissonJean-Pierre SoissonJean-Pierre Soisson is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement who is a deputy in the National Assembly of France for the first district of Yonne....
, François LéotardFrançois LéotardFrançois Gerard Marie Léotard is a retired French politician. The late singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother....
, Gérard LonguetGérard LonguetGérard Longuet is a French conservative politician. On 27 February 2011, he became the new French Defense Minister.-Biography:...
, Alain MadelinAlain MadelinAlain Madelin is a French politician and a former minister of that country.Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored 3.91% on the first round... - Movement of Left Radicals / Radical-Socialist Party / Left Radical Party: Robert FabreRobert FabreRobert Fabre was a French politician and pharmacist....
(ex-Rad), Michel CrépeauMichel CrépeauMichel Crépeau was a French centre-left politician.Born in 1930, barrister, he joined the Radical Party. When it split in 1972, he founded the Movement of Left Radicals which chosen the alliance with the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party...
(ex-Rad), Émile ZuccarelliÉmile ZuccarelliÉmile Zuccarelli is a French politician from Corsica. He serves as honorary President of the Radical Party of the Left and mayor of Bastia. Until his defeat in the French legislative election, 2007, he was deputy for Haute-Corse.In the French regional elections, 2004, he led a PRG list in Corse,...
, Roger-Gérard SchwartzenbergRoger-Gérard SchwartzenbergRoger-Gérard Schwartzenberg is a French politician. From 1981 to 1983 he was President of the Movement of Radicals of the Left in the French Parliament.He was born in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques....
, Yvon CollinYvon CollinYvon Collin is a member of the Senate of France. He represents the Tarn-et-Garonne department , and is a member of the Radical Party of the Left.-References:*...
, Jean-Michel BayletJean-Michel BayletJean-Michel Baylet is a French politician, Senator, and leader of the moderate center-left Radical Party of the Left.... - Union for a Popular Movement (liberal wings): Patrick DevedjianPatrick DevedjianPatrick Devedjian is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement party...
, Jean-Claude GaudinJean-Claude GaudinJean-Claude Gaudin is a French politician. He has been Mayor of Marseille since 1995 and Vice-President of the Senate since 1998; additionally, he has been Vice-President of the Union for a Popular Movement since 2002.-Early life:...
(ex-PR/DL), Jean-Pierre RaffarinJean-Pierre RaffarinJean-Pierre Raffarin is a French conservative politician and senator for Vienne.Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin...
(ex-PR/DL), Hervé NovelliHervé NovelliHervé Novelli is a French politician of Italian origin, and a past member of the UDF group. He was a deputé in the Assemblée Nationale for the Indre-et-Loire département from 2002 to 2007, having previously been a député from 1993-1997...
(ex-PR/DL), Claude GoasguenClaude GoasguenClaude Goasguen is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the city of Paris, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-Biography:...
(ex-DL), Pierre LellouchePierre LellouchePierre Lellouche is a French politician and a member of the Union for a Popular Movement party. He is Secretary of State for Foreign Trade under the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Christine Lagarde. He was also the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from November 2004 to 17...
(ex-DL), Jean-Pierre Gorges (ex-DL), Jean-Luc RoméroJean-Luc RomeroJean-Luc Romero is a French politician, writer and NGO leader.-Biography:Since 1986, Romero is Parlement assistant of Pierre-Rémy Houssin , Jean-Marie Demange and Guy Drut . Since 2001, he is solidarity director at Vigneux-sur-Seine...
(ex-Rad), Rachid Kaci (ex-DL) - Union for French Democracy: Gilles de RobienGilles de RobienCount Gilles de Robien is a French politician. He is the son of count Jean de Robien and of Éliane Le Mesre de Pas. The Robien are a noble family originating from Brittany....
(ex-PR/DL/PRIL), Hervé MorinHervé MorinHervé Morin is a French politician, leader of the New Center party and a former French Minister of Defence.-Member of National Assembly:...
(ex-PR/DL/PRIL)
Liberal thinkers
In the Contributions to liberal theoryContributions to liberal theory
Individual contributors to classical liberalism and political liberalism are associated with philosophers of the Enlightenment. Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement towards self-government and away from aristocracy...
the following French thinkers are included:
- VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
(1694–1778) - Jean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
(1712–1778) - Denis DiderotDenis DiderotDenis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
(1713–1784) - Charles de MontesquieuCharles de Secondat, baron de MontesquieuCharles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu , generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment...
(1689–1755) - Marquis de CondorcetMarquis de CondorcetMarie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet , known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French philosopher, mathematician, and early political scientist whose Condorcet method in voting tally selects the candidate who would beat each of the other candidates in a run-off election...
(1743–1794) - Benjamin ConstantBenjamin ConstantHenri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque was a Swiss-born French nobleman, thinker, writer and politician.-Biography:...
(1767–1830) - Frédéric BastiatFrédéric BastiatClaude Frédéric Bastiat was a French classical liberal theorist, political economist, and member of the French assembly. He was notable for developing the important economic concept of opportunity cost.-Biography:...
(1801–1850) - Alexis de TocquevilleAlexis de TocquevilleAlexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution . In both of these works, he explored the effects of the rising equality of social conditions on the individual and the state in...
(1805–1859) - Émile DurkheimÉmile DurkheimDavid Émile Durkheim was a French sociologist. He formally established the academic discipline and, with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is commonly cited as the principal architect of modern social science and father of sociology.Much of Durkheim's work was concerned with how societies could maintain...
(1858–1917) - Raymond AronRaymond AronRaymond-Claude-Ferdinand Aron was a French philosopher, sociologist, journalist and political scientist.He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that religion was the opium of the people -- in contrast, Aron argued that in...
(1905–1983)
See also
- History of FranceHistory of FranceThe history of France goes back to the arrival of the earliest human being in what is now France. Members of the genus Homo entered the area hundreds of thousands years ago, while the first modern Homo sapiens, the Cro-Magnons, arrived around 40,000 years ago...
- Politics of FrancePolitics of FranceFrance is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of France is head of state and the Prime Minister of France is the head of government, and there is a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
- List of political parties in France