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Unit 13: Political Parties

Union of New Republic: Gaullism is the most important movement of France which has been in Notes
existence particularly since 1946. First as the Rally of the French People (RPF), it started its political
career under the inspiring leadership of Gen. de Gaulle. Feeling highly critical of the constitution of
the Fourth Republic, de Gaulle resigned and went into forced retirement, while he allowed his trusted
followers to play their part in the politics of the country. In the elections of 1956 the number of the
Gaullists declined considerably with the result that a section organised itself into a new formation
called the Social Republicans. However, with the return of de Gaulle to power in 1958, all Gaullists
rallied under his leadership and the Union of New Republic (UNR) came into being.
Very curious is the story of the role of this party in the recent politics of France. Though formed after
the triumph of de Gaulle, the great leader in 1958 refused to give his formal support to this party and
even denied its members to associate his name with this organisation. The reason was that, as a
shrewd leader, de Gaulle sought to use this organisation as per his political interests without aligning
himself formally with it. He preferred to have it like a ready-made platform that he would make use
of at his discretion instead of letting it grow into the form of a coherent party that might come with its
own demands or emerge as a potential challenge to his authority. As a result, while de Gaulle could
thrive at the almost unflinching allegiance of his supporters, the latter failed to get as much capital
from the political personality of their supreme leader. It was due to the tailor-made support of the
UNR that de Gaulle could emerge victorious in the first and second Presidential elections and that he
could also win the referendum on the constitutional reform of 1962 with flying colours, though the
Gaullists could not show a remarkable success in the parliamentary elections.

The ‘myth of two Frances’, that is, divison of France into northern and sothern parts of the
country divided by the river Loire. It may be visualised in the eastern and western regions
of the country also.
In certain respects, Gaullism is identified with Fascism in view of the fact that the RPF was inspired
by the towering personality of a single leader (de Gaulle) and that it “combined demands for radical
social change with intense nationalism. It was anti-parliamentary, anti-trade union and virulently
anti-communist. Its most distinctive positive policy, apart from the constitutional reforms demanded
by its leader, was the association of capital and labour in a way reminiscent of corporatism. Yet, with
some Jewish traders, it never succumbed to anti-semitism that had earlier disfigured the Right in
France and the real parallel are perhaps Bonapartism and Boulangism. Finally, de Gaulle’s
determination to come to power legally probably, prevented the RPF from developing further fascist
characteristics”. The surprising part of the study is that after the establishment of the Fifth Republic,
the UNR became a basically different organisation in the sense as it was formed to support de Gaulle
in power, not to win power for him; it was formed by the supporters of de Gaulle without his being
involved, not by de Gaulle to attract supporters.
Finally, it should also be taken note of that the trend of ‘left Gaullism’ developed and that too with
the ‘private’ blessings of the great leader. A progressive section of the UNR took to a different line.
The victory of Estaing as the President in the elections of 1974 is a clear indication of this trend. One
is, however, not very sure that the movement of Gaullism would continue to save the country from
relapsing into the morass of political instability. It cannot be ruled out that new leaders may emerge
on the political scene not to let the UNR remain like the poodle of a single leader-like de Gaulle,
Pompidou or Estaing. If so happens, nothing would break the UNR more quickly than the setting up
of factions inside the Party and the organisation of joint groups with other parties. However, if such
leaders come smoothly without creating difficult succession problems, the UNR “can hope to survive
and new style be imposed upon the Right and the Centre-Right of French politics and, indeed, indirectly
on the Left as well,”
Communist Party: It is the most active political party of France which “provides an interesting picture
of the role and tactics of a dictatorial Marxist party inside a democracy”. It was formed in Dec, 1920

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