In France, as in much of Southern Europe, the term liberal was used during the 19th century either to refer to the traditional liberal
anti-clericalism or
economic liberalism. Economic liberalism in France was long associated more with the
Orléanists and with
Opportunist Republicans (whose heir was the
Democratic Republican Alliance), rather than the
Radical Party, leading to the use of the term radical to refer to political liberalism. The Radicals tended to be more statist than most European liberals, but shared liberal values on other issues, especially support for individual liberty and secularism, while the Republicans were keener on economic liberalism than secularism.
Intellectuals played a powerful role in all the movements, for example a major spokesman for radicalism was
Émile Chartier (1868–1951), who wrote under the pseudonym of "Alain". He was a leading theorist of radicalism, and his influence extended through the Third and Fourth Republics. He stressed individualism, seeking to defend the citizen against the state. He warned against all forms of power – military, clerical, and economic. To oppose them, he exalted the small farmer, the small shopkeeper, the small town, and the little man. He idealized country life and saw Paris as a dangerous font of power.[1]
1885: The GR and the UR are united in the Democratic Union (UD).
1889: The Progressive Republicans, whose official name was Liberal Republican Union (ULR), are formed. The remaining Opportunist Republicans formed the National Republican Association (ANR).
1902: The Progressive Union (UR) is merged into the ARD.
1903: The more conservative Republican Federation (FR) is founded and the Liberal Republican Union (ULR) and National Republican Association (ANR) are merged into it.
1911: The ARD is renamed Democratic Republican Party (PRD).
1917: The ARD goes back to its original name.
1919: The ALP is merged into the FR.
1920: The ARD is further renamed Social, Democratic and Republican Party (PRDS).
1926: The ARD is finally renamed Democratic Alliance (AD).
2002: The DL and the PPDF merge with the Gaullist-conservative
Rally for the Republic (RPR) to form the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Liberal factions within the new party include
The Reformers, the "Liberal Clubs", "Liberal Generation" and the "Free Right", as well as the Radical Party (see below).
1956: The Radicals and the other components of the RGR join forces with the
French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), however some dissidents transformed the RGR into a full-fledged party and other Radical dissidents from the Republican Centre (CR).
2007: The Democratic Movement (MoDem) is formed by
François Bayrou, until then leader of the
Union for French Democracy (which has suffered the split of some of its founding components in 1998–2002, see above), on the remnants of the latter party.