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Liberalism and radicalism in France 

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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 (Radicals, "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 Left Radical Party), 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.

Contents

Introduction

The early high points of liberalism 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 Democratic Republican Alliance.

The French Radicals tend to be more statist than most European liberals, but share 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 enthusiasm 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 seceded 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 Radical-Socialist faction and the foundation of the Left Radical Party, closely associated to the Socialist Party.

In 1978 both the Republican Party (successor of the Independent Republicans) and the Radical Party were founding components, alongside with Democratic Centre, of the Union for French Democracy, an alliance of liberal and christian-democratic forces.

The Republican Party, re-founded as Liberal Democracy and re-shaped as a free-market libertarian party, left UDF in 1997 and merged in the conservative Union for a Popular Movement, of which it represents the libertarian wing. Also the Radical Party left UDF in 2002 in order to join UMP, of which it is the main social-liberal component, as an associate party. In some ways we can say that the Republican tradition and the Radical one are now re-composed in UMP, which embraces a soft form of neo-liberalism.

Anyway the lack of a true liberal and libertarian force in France led to the creation in 2006 of Liberal Alternative, whose chances of success are unclear

The timeline

19th Century

From the Republicans to Liberal Democracy

From the Radicals to the Radical Party

Rally of Left Republicans

Republican Centre

From Movement of Left Radicals to Left Radical Party

  • 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 Left Radical Party (Parti Radical de Gauche, PRG)

Liberals in the Union for a Popular Movement

Liberal Alternative

  • 2006: Liberal Alternative (Alternative Libérale), a new autonomous party, is created by classic liberals.

Liberal and radical leaders

Liberal thinkers

In the Contributions to liberal theory the following French thinkers are included:

See also

External links

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