In France, as in much of Southern Europe, the termliberal was used during the 19th century either to refer to the traditional liberalanti-clericalism oreconomic liberalism. Economic liberalism in France was long associated more with theOrléanists and withOpportunist Republicans (whose heir was theDemocratic Republican Alliance), rather than theRadical Party, leading to the use of the termradical 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 wasÉmile 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 theDemocratic Union (UD).
1889: TheProgressive Republicans, whose official name wasLiberal Republican Union (ULR), are formed. The remaining Opportunist Republicans formed theNational Republican Association (ANR).
1902: The Progressive Union (UR) is merged into the ARD.
1903: The more conservativeRepublican Federation (FR) is founded and the Liberal Republican Union (ULR) and National Republican Association (ANR) are merged into it.
1911: The ARD is renamedDemocratic 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 renamedSocial, Democratic and Republican Party (PRDS).
1926: The ARD is finally renamedDemocratic Alliance (AD).
2002: The DL and the PPDF merge with the Gaullist-conservativeRally for the Republic (RPR) to form theUnion for a Popular Movement (UMP). Liberal factions within the new party includeThe 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 theFrench Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), however some dissidents transformed the RGR into a full-fledged party and other Radical dissidents from theRepublican Centre (CR).
2007: TheDemocratic Movement (MoDem) is formed byFrançois Bayrou, until then leader of theUnion 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.
