Republican Socialist Party
Encyclopedia
The Republican Socialist Party was a political party
in Belgium
. The party was founded on August 15, 1887, by Alfred Defuissaux, a miners' leader from Borinage
. Defuissaux had been expelled from the Belgian Labour Party
in February 1887, as the party tried to distance itself from militant strikes. The new party was mainly based in the Wallon-Hainaut areas. The party, whose followers were generally miners, argued in favour of a grève noire ('black strike', i.e., a complete general strike
) as a means to obtain universal suffrage or, possibly, integration with republican France
. The year it was founded, the PSR led a wave of local strikes.
The first PSR party congress was held on December 25, 1887, in Châtelet
. The congress adopted a party programme and statues.
In December 1888 several leading figures of the PSR were arrested, a blow that the party would not recuperate from. Through the legal proceedings that followed in 1889, information emerged that most of the PSR leadership were in fact agent provocateur
s on the government's payroll. The influence of the party waned as a result of these revelations. The scandal became known as le Grand Complot (the Great Complot). The events of le Grand Complot were reenacted in a 1990 theatre play by the same name by Jean Louvet.
The party began publishing La Bataille in 1889, its publication continued until 1891 (as a Republican Socialist weekly).
At the time of the centenary of the French Revolution of 1789, PSR merged back into the Belgian Labour Party. The PSR, albeit short-lived, represented the sole effort to build a structured republican political organization in Belgium.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The party was founded on August 15, 1887, by Alfred Defuissaux, a miners' leader from Borinage
Borinage
The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
. Defuissaux had been expelled from the Belgian Labour Party
Belgian Labour Party
The Belgian Labour Party, called Belgische Werkliedenpartij in Dutch and Parti Ouvrier Belge in French, was the first socialist party in Belgium, founded in 1885.-History:...
in February 1887, as the party tried to distance itself from militant strikes. The new party was mainly based in the Wallon-Hainaut areas. The party, whose followers were generally miners, argued in favour of a grève noire ('black strike', i.e., a complete general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
) as a means to obtain universal suffrage or, possibly, integration with republican France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The year it was founded, the PSR led a wave of local strikes.
The first PSR party congress was held on December 25, 1887, in Châtelet
Châtelet, Belgium
Châtelet is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, on the river Sambre. As of January 1, 2006, Châtelet had a total population of 35,621. The total area of the municipality is 27.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,318 inhabitants per km². It is composed of...
. The congress adopted a party programme and statues.
In December 1888 several leading figures of the PSR were arrested, a blow that the party would not recuperate from. Through the legal proceedings that followed in 1889, information emerged that most of the PSR leadership were in fact agent provocateur
Agent provocateur
Traditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
s on the government's payroll. The influence of the party waned as a result of these revelations. The scandal became known as le Grand Complot (the Great Complot). The events of le Grand Complot were reenacted in a 1990 theatre play by the same name by Jean Louvet.
The party began publishing La Bataille in 1889, its publication continued until 1891 (as a Republican Socialist weekly).
At the time of the centenary of the French Revolution of 1789, PSR merged back into the Belgian Labour Party. The PSR, albeit short-lived, represented the sole effort to build a structured republican political organization in Belgium.