Since , to prevent confusion with the Radical Party of the Left PRG , it has also been referred to as Parti radical valoisien , after its headquarters on the rue de Valois. Founded in , the PR is the oldest active political party in France. Coming from the Radical Republican tradition, [ 5 ] the PR upheld the principles of private property , social justice and secularism.
The Radicals were originally a left-wing group, but, starting with the emergence of the French Section of the Workers' International SFIO in , they shifted gradually towards the political centre. In , its right-wing split off to form the Unionist or National Radicals. In the party's left-wing split off to form the PRG. After the presidential and legislative elections, negotiations to merge the PR and the PRG began.
The refounding congress to reunite the parties into the Radical Movement was held in December The PR was then part of the Ensemble Citoyens coalition. After the collapse of Napoleon 's empire in , a reactionary Bourbon Restoration took place.
The left-wing opposition was constituted by the broad family of Republicans, but these differed over whether and how far to cooperate with liberal-constitutional monarchists in pursuit of their common adversary. In contrast to the Republicans' right wing then the centre-left of the political spectrum , who were more inclined to accept a socially conservative constitutional monarchy as the first stage to a republic, the Republicans' left wing took a hard line in advocating progressive reforms such as universal manhood suffrage , civil liberties such as press freedom and right to assembly, among others , and the immediate installation of a republican constitution.
They came to be termed Radical Republicans by opposition to the Moderate Republicans. After the installation of the constitutional July Monarchy — , the term Republican was outlawed and the regime's remaining Republican opponents adopted the term Radical for themselves. At this time, radicalism was distinct from and to the left of the July Monarchy's doctrinal liberalism. Radicals defended traditional peasant farmers and small craftsmen against the new rival economic projects of the 19th century, socialist collectivism and capitalist big business alike.
