Brilliant Failure: Political Parties Under the Republican Era in France (1870–1914)

Abstract

French Politics has long been characterized by the absence of modern political parties, especially during the time of the Third Republic. Nevertheless, this absence of unified and disciplined mass parties was not a synonym of political archaism. Modernization had followed an alternative way. It was characterized by a strong tradition of freedom of vote within the parliament. This tradition was seen as the core of the Republican tradition and a sort of national identity (against the discipline imposed from above, against a strong personal leadership). French politics was also based on different forms of political organization on the local stage such as committees and political networks. Rather than signs of political backwardness, these forms had proved capable of diffusing political ideas among the masses.