Rally of the French People
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Rally of the French People Rassemblement du peuple français | |
---|---|
Political position | Right-wing[1] |
Colours | Blue, white, red |
National Assembly (1951) | 121 / 625 |
Party flag | |
The Rally of the French People (French: Rassemblement du Peuple Français, RPF) was a French political party, led by Charles de Gaulle.
Foundation
The RPF was founded by
As de Gaulle also opposed the parties on the basis that they served particular interests and divided the nation, he wanted the RPF to be a "rally," not a political party, and allowed members of other parties (except
Electoral record
The party enjoyed success in municipal elections (1947), capturing the cities of Lille, Marseille, Bordeaux (with Jacques Chaban-Delmas), Strasbourg, Rennes, Versailles, Le Mans, and Nancy with over 35% of votes. In Paris in 1947, Pierre de Gaulle, the brother of the General, became President of the municipal council, a post similar to mayor.[4] However, the RPF's performance in the Christian Democratic MRP strongholds of rural France was relatively mediocre. Parliamentarians hostile to the RPF delayed cantonal elections in the fear of another Gaullist breakthrough. The hostility of the media and the social events of 1947 limited the party's electoral success.
The 1949 cantonal elections, albeit delayed in fear of an RPF breakthrough, produced another RPF victory (although smaller than the victory in the municipal elections).
The
Political defeats
With only 117 seats, the RPF had little influence on decision making in the new Assembly. In 1952, 27 deputies voted in favor of
On 13 September 1955, the party was officially dissolved.
Leadership
- 1947–1951: Jacques Soustelle
- 1952–1954: Louis Terrenoire
- 1954–1955: Jacques Foccart
See also
References
- ^ Hitchcock, William I. (2008). The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent, 1945–Present. Knopf Doubleday. p. 77.
- ISBN 0-87395-440-8
- ISBN 0-85664-151-0
- ISBN 1-58603-291-7
- ISBN 81-207-1937-9
- ISBN 978-1-4008-5558-2.