Cartel des Gauches
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Cartel of the Left Cartel des Gauches | |
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President | Light pink |
The Cartel of the Left (
History
The first Cartel (1924–1926)
The Cartel des gauches, formed primarily between the Radical-Socialist Party and the SFIO, was created in 1923 as a counterweight to the conservative alliance (Bloc National), which had won the
The left-wing coalition included four different groups: the independent radicals (a group slightly to the right of the Radical-Socialists); the
Due to the division of the right-wing, the Cartel won the elections on 11 May 1924, after the French government's failure to collect German reparations even after occupying the Ruhr. The left-wing obtained 48.3% of the votes, and the right-wing 51.7%, but the Cartel gained the majority of seats thanks to a favorable voting system, with 327 against 254 (the right-wing and the first communist deputies). The new majority was led by Édouard Herriot, and broke up in 1926, with the SFIO passing into the opposition. Despite this majority in parliament, the Cartel didn't enjoy the backing of a majority of the electorate, even when including communist voters, whose party had elected to oppose the government, with the Cartel needing to rely on the shaky support of center-left deputies for its continued survival.[1]
In parliament, a draft law on amnesty submitted in June 1924 was adopted at the cost of six months of a harsh parliamentary battle, whereas legislation aimed at expanding secularism generated virulent opposition and demonstrations soon captured by catholic and right-dominated associations.[2] Capital flight and the failure to retrieve the reparations created a monetary crisis, which led to the creation of a new government by the centre-right Raymond Poincaré. As soon as Poincaré formed his new government, composed of the National Bloc parties plus the Radical-Socialists, the monetary crisis ended.
The second Cartel (1932–1934)
The right-wing then won the 1928 legislative elections, with 329 right-wing deputies against 258 for the left. As in previous elections, the Radical-Socialists presented themselves with the left.
In 1932 the second Cartel won a majority of seats, but its parties had not agreed upon forming a coalition for government. The socialists asked for specific conditions in exchange for their participation in the government (known as "Huygens conditions"). Several governments fell in quick succession, each led by figures of the republican centre-left This parliamentary majority, distinct from the electoral majority, was weak. This parliamentary instability, coupled with the
Composition
Party | Main ideology | Leader/s | |
---|---|---|---|
Radical-Socialist Party | Radicalism
|
Édouard Herriot (last) | |
French Section of the Workers' International | Democratic socialism | Paul Faure | |
Republican-Socialist Party | Social democracy | René Viviani | |
Independent Radicals | Social liberalism | Raoul Péret |
See also
- Interwar France
- France in Modern Times (1920-today)
- Radical-Socialist Party (France)
- French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO)
- History of the Left in France
References
- ISBN 978-2-7071-4737-0, retrieved 2024-02-02
- ISBN 978-2-7071-4737-0, retrieved 2024-02-02
Further reading
- Colton, Joel. Léon Blum, Humanist in Politics (1968)
- Jackson, Julian. The politics of depression in France 1932-1936 (2002)
- Jackson, Julian. The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 (1990)
- Larmour, Peter. The French Radical Party in the 1930s (1964)