European Democratic and Social Rally
Encyclopedia
The European Democratic and Social Rally is a social-liberal
parliamentary group representing the Radical tradition
in the French Senate.
during the French Third Republic
, the Democratic Left was formed in 1905 by moderate republicans who were members of the centrist to centre-right Democratic Republican Alliance
(ARD).
In 1989 the group changed its denomination, taking the current one. The group was led by Jacques Pelletier, a Radical, from 1982 to 1988 and then from 1998 to his death in 2007. He was replaced by Pierre Lafitte, a Radical too, who was defeated in the 2008 election
. Since 2008 the group has been led by Yvon Collin
, a member of the Radical Party of the Left (PRG).
Historical members of the party include Arthur Ranc
, Émile Combes
, Georges Clemenceau
, Paul Doumer
, Gaston Doumergue
, Édouard Herriot
, Henri Queuille
, Gaston Monnerville
, François Mitterrand
, Edgar Faure
, Jean-Pierre Fourcade
and Jean François-Poncet
. Between 1946 and 1964 François Mitterrand, at the time member of the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance
(UDSR), was a leading member of the Rally of Republican Lefts
(RGR), the alliance between the Radicals and UDSR.
outfit. As French politics is becoming increasingly close to a two-party system
, this heterogeneous group is a sort of anachronism. Moreover, differently from other political groups, RDSE is characterized by no party discipline
as its members are always free to vote as they please.
Since 2008 the group, which has been predominantly Radical and centre-right in 2004–2008, has opened its doors to other parties of the left, has now a centre-left majority and is increasingly similar to other miscellaneous left-wing groups in the National Assembly.
Before joining the group of the Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP) in 2002, most senators of the Radical Party were members of RDSE, while a centrist senator of the Union for French Democracy
(UDF) joined briefly the group from 2001 to 2002. Since 2008 five Radical senators out of six are members of the UMP group and only one is still a member of RDSE.
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...
parliamentary group representing the Radical tradition
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
in the French Senate.
Chamber of Deputies
In the Chamber of Deputies of FranceChamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
during the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The 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...
, the Democratic Left was formed in 1905 by moderate republicans who were members of the centrist to 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...
(ARD).
Senate
The group was established in 1892 under the name of Democratic Left and since 1901 it consisted basically of the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (Rad.) and it is thus the oldest political group in the Senate.In 1989 the group changed its denomination, taking the current one. The group was led by Jacques Pelletier, a Radical, from 1982 to 1988 and then from 1998 to his death in 2007. He was replaced by Pierre Lafitte, a Radical too, who was defeated in the 2008 election
French Senate election, 2008
Indirect Senate elections were held for 114 of the 343 seats in the French Senate on 21 September 2008. With this election, the number of senators was increased from 331 to 343; Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin elected two senators each for the first time...
. Since 2008 the group has been led by Yvon Collin
Yvon Collin
Yvon 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:*...
, a member of the Radical Party of the Left (PRG).
Historical members of the party include Arthur Ranc
Arthur Ranc
Arthur Ranc was a French leftwing politician and writer.Born at Poitiers, Vienne, he was educated for the law...
, Émile Combes
Émile Combes
Émile 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 Clemenceau
Georges Clemenceau
Georges 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...
, Paul Doumer
Paul Doumer
Joseph Athanase Paul Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer was the President of France from 13 June 1931 until his assassination.-Biography:...
, Gaston Doumergue
Gaston Doumergue
Pierre-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...
, Édouard Herriot
Édouard Herriot
Édouard 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 Queuille
Henri Queuille
Henri 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 :...
, Gaston Monnerville
Gaston Monnerville
Gaston 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...
, François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
, Edgar Faure
Edgar Faure
Edgar 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...
, Jean-Pierre Fourcade
Jean-Pierre Fourcade
Jean-Pierre Fourcade is a French politician and a member of the Senate of France. He represents the Hauts-de-Seine department and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement Party. He is former minister for Economics and Finance , and equipment .-References:*...
and Jean François-Poncet
Jean François-Poncet
Jean François-Poncet is a French politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing between November 1978 and May 1981. Since 1983 he has been a member of the French Senate. He received his B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1947, his M.A...
. Between 1946 and 1964 François Mitterrand, at the time member of the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance
Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance
The Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance was a French political party found at the Liberation and in activity during the Fourth Republic...
(UDSR), was a leading member of the Rally of Republican Lefts
Rally of Republican Lefts
The Rally of Republican Lefts was an electoral alliance during the French Fourth Republic composed of the Radical Party, the Independent Radicals, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance and several conservative groups...
(RGR), the alliance between the Radicals and UDSR.
Composition
The group is currently a bipartisanBipartisanship
Bipartisanship is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system such as the United States, in which opposing political parties find common ground through compromise. The adjective bipartisan can refer to any bill, act, resolution, or other political act in which both of the...
outfit. As French politics is becoming increasingly close to a two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
, this heterogeneous group is a sort of anachronism. Moreover, differently from other political groups, RDSE is characterized by no party discipline
Party discipline
Party discipline is the ability of a parliamentary group of a political party to get its members to support the policies of their party leadership. In liberal democracies, it usually refers to the control that party leaders have over its legislature...
as its members are always free to vote as they please.
Since 2008 the group, which has been predominantly Radical and centre-right in 2004–2008, has opened its doors to other parties of the left, has now a centre-left majority and is increasingly similar to other miscellaneous left-wing groups in the National Assembly.
Before joining the group of 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...
(UMP) in 2002, most senators of the Radical Party were members of RDSE, while a centrist senator 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...
(UDF) joined briefly the group from 2001 to 2002. Since 2008 five Radical senators out of six are members of the UMP group and only one is still a member of RDSE.
2004–2008
In 2004–2008 RDSE was composed of 17 senators, including:- Radical Party of the Left: 7 senators
- Radical Party (associate party of the UMPUnion 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...
): 4 senators - Movement for FranceMovement for FranceThe Movement for France , abbreviated to MPF, is a French conservative and eurosceptic political party, founded on 20 November 1994, with a marked regional stronghold in the Vendée. It is led by Philippe de Villiers, once communications minister under Jacques Chirac.The party is considered...
: 1 senator - United Guadeloupe, Socialism and RealitiesUnited Guadeloupe, Socialism and RealitiesThe United Guadeloupe, Socialism and Realities is a political party in the French département d'outre-mer of Guadeloupe. The party is close the Modern Left and has one Senator sitting in the European Democratic and Social Rally....
: 1 senator - Democratic Forces of GuianaDemocratic Forces of GuianaThe Democratic Forces of Guiana is a political party in the French overseas région of French Guiana, in South America. The FDG had one Senator until the 2008 elections, Georges Othily who sat in the RDSE group in the Senate....
: 1 senator - right-wing independents (Divers droite): 2 senators
- left-wing independents (Divers gauche): 1 senator
2008–2011
Since 2008 RDSE has been composed of 18 senators, including:- Radical Party of the Left: 10 senators
- Radical Party (formerly associated with the UMPUnion 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...
): 1 senator - Modern LeftModern LeftThe Modern Left , is a French centrist political party founded in 2007.The party was founded following the nomination of the former Socialist Senator and Mayor of Mulhouse, Jean-Marie Bockel to the François Fillon government in May 2007...
(formerly associated with the UMPUnion 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...
): 1 senator - 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...
: 1 senator - Citizen and Republican MovementCitizen and Republican MovementThe Citizen and Republican Movement is a political party in France. The party replaced, in 2002, the Citizens' Movement founded by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, who left the Socialist Party in 1993 due to his opposition to the Persian Gulf War and to the Maastricht Treaty...
: 1 senator - United Guadeloupe, Socialism and RealitiesUnited Guadeloupe, Socialism and RealitiesThe United Guadeloupe, Socialism and Realities is a political party in the French département d'outre-mer of Guadeloupe. The party is close the Modern Left and has one Senator sitting in the European Democratic and Social Rally....
: 1 senator - left-wing independents (Divers gaucheMiscellaneous LeftMiscellaneous Left in France refers to left-wing candidates that are not member of any large party. They either include small left-wing parties or dissidents expelled from their parties for running against their party's candidate. Numerous DVG candidates are elected at a local level, and a smaller...
): 2 senators - right-wing independents (Divers droiteMiscellaneous RightMiscellaneous Right in France refers to right-wing candidates that are not member of any large party. They either include small right-wing parties, dissidents expelled from their parties for running against their party's candidate, as well as candidates who were never formal members of a party...
): 1 senator
Leadership
- 1892–1893: Arthur RancArthur RancArthur Ranc was a French leftwing politician and writer.Born at Poitiers, Vienne, he was educated for the law...
- 1893–1894: 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...
- 1894–1895: Henri de Verninac
- 1895–1896: Jean BernardJean BernardJean Bernard may refer to:* Jean Bernard , French hematologist* Father Jean Bernard , Catholic priest who survived the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau...
- 1896–1897: Jean-Baptiste Baduel
- 1897–1899: Paul Peytral
- 1899–1900: Maxime Lecomte
- 1900–1905: Frédéric DesmonsFrédéric DesmonsFrédéric Desmons was a French Calvinist priest and freemason who persuaded the Grand Orient de France in a vote to remove the term of the Great Architect of the Universe from their Constitution...
- 1905–1907: 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...
- 1907–1911: Adrien Savary
- 1911–1920: 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...
- 1920–1924: 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...
- 1924–1943: Jean-Baptiste Bienvenu-Martin
- 1946–1948: Jules Gasser
- 1948–1951: Charles Brune
- 1951–1962: Henri Borgeaud
- 1962–1968: Pierre de La Gontrie
- 1968–1978: Lucien Grand
- 1978–1981: Gaston Pams
- 1981–1982: René TouzetRené TouzetRené Touzet y Monte was a Cuban-born American composer, pianist and bandleader.-Career as bandleader:...
- 1982–1988: Jacques Pelletier
- 1988–1989: Josy Moinet
- 1989–1995 : Ernest Cartigny
- 1995–2001 : Guy-Pierre Cabanel
- 2001–2007 : Jacques Pelletier
- 2007–2008 : Pierre LaffittePierre LaffittePierre Laffitte was a French positivist.Laffitte was born at Béguey . Residing at Paris as a teacher of mathematics, he became a disciple of Auguste Comte, who appointed him his literary executor...
- 2008–present: 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:*...
Denominations
- 1892–1907: Democratic Left (Gauche démocratique)
- 1907–1949: Radical and Radical-Socialist Left (Gauche démocratique radicale et radicale-socialiste)
- 1949–1952: Rally of Republican LeftsRally of Republican LeftsThe Rally of Republican Lefts was an electoral alliance during the French Fourth Republic composed of the Radical Party, the Independent Radicals, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance and several conservative groups...
and the Democratic Left (Rassemblement des Gauches Républicaines et de la Gauche Démocratique) - 1952–1956: Democratic Left and Rally of Republican LeftsRally of Republican LeftsThe Rally of Republican Lefts was an electoral alliance during the French Fourth Republic composed of the Radical Party, the Independent Radicals, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance and several conservative groups...
(Gauche démocratique et du Rassemblement des gauches républicaines) - 1956–1989: Democratic Left (Gauche démocratique)
- 1989–1995: European Democratic Rally (Rassemblement démocratique européen)
- 1995–present: European Democratic and Social Rally (Rassemblement démocratique et social européen)