Socialist Party (France) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids <div style="padding-top:0.3em; padding-bottom:0.3em; border-top:2px solid Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; border-bottom:2px solid Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; line-height: 1;"> Socialist Party Le Parti socialiste

Abbreviation	PS
First Secretary	Olivier Faure
President in the National Assembly	Boris Vallaud
President in the Senate	Patrick Kanner
Founders	François Mitterrand Alain Savary
Founded	4 May 1969; 56 years ago (1969-05-04)
Merger of	See list SFIO CIR UCRG UGCS
Headquarters	99 Rue Molière, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine
Newspaper	Le Populaire (1969–1970)
Youth wing	Young Socialist Movement
LGBT wing	Homosexualités et Socialisme
Membership (2024)	47,000
Ideology	Social democracy Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-left to left-wing
National affiliation	New Popular Front (2024–present) NUPES (2022–2024)
European affiliation	Party of European Socialists
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance Socialist International
European Parliament group	Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Colours	Pink and green
Anthem	"Il faut tourner la page" ('We must turn the page') (since 2010)
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Presidency of Regional Councils	5 / 17
Presidency of Departmental Councils	22 / 95
Website
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Political parties

The Socialist Party (French: Le Parti socialiste, or PS) is a major political party in France. It is known for its centre-left to left-wing ideas. The party believes in social democracy, which means they support a strong welfare state and economic fairness. They are also pro-European, meaning they support closer ties and cooperation within Europe.

For many years, the PS was one of the two biggest political parties in France. It was founded in 1969 when several socialist groups joined together. One of its most famous leaders was François Mitterrand, who became president of France in 1981. The party has been a member of important international groups like the Party of European Socialists and the Socialist International. Currently, Olivier Faure is the First Secretary, leading the party.

History of the Socialist Party
Party Leaders
Election Results
See also

History of the Socialist Party

Early Socialist Movements in France

After a big event called the Paris Commune in 1871, socialist groups in France became much weaker. But new parties soon started to form. The first French socialist party, the Federation of the Socialist Workers of France (FTSF), began in 1879. It wanted to make changes slowly, step by step. Other groups, like the French Workers' Party and the Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party, also formed. Famous socialist leaders like Jean Jaurès were important figures even without belonging to a specific party at first.

In 1905, many of these groups came together to form the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO). Jean Jaurès was a very influential leader of this new party.

Challenges and Splits (Early 1900s)

The SFIO faced challenges from other political groups. They were also divided on whether to join governments with non-socialist parties. When World War I started in 1914, the party was against the war. However, after Jaurès was killed, they couldn't stop the wave of support for the war.

In 1920, a big split happened. Many members left to form the French Communist Party, which wanted to join a worldwide communist movement. The remaining members, led by Léon Blum, continued as the SFIO.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Socialists sometimes worked with other left-wing parties. In 1936, they joined the Popular Front and won elections. For the first time, the SFIO became the leading party on the left, and Léon Blum became France's first SFIO Prime Minister. However, his government lasted only about a year.

After World War II and Decline

After France was freed in 1944, the SFIO worked with the powerful French Communist Party and other groups. They helped create France's welfare state, which provides support for people. But this alliance didn't last long because of the Cold War.

The SFIO's popularity went down in the 1960s. In 1965, they supported François Mitterrand, a politician who was against the current government, for president. He did surprisingly well, becoming a key leader for the non-Communist left.

The Socialist Party is Born (1969)

In 1969, the SFIO was replaced by the new Socialist Party (PS). Other groups joined it, including those led by François Mitterrand. In 1971, Mitterrand became the leader of the PS. He wanted to work closely with the Communist Party to win elections. In 1972, the PS and the Communist Party signed a "Common Programme" to work together.

Logo of the PS

The PS started to gain more votes, even more than the Communist Party. In the 1974 presidential election, Mitterrand almost won. However, the alliance with the Communists eventually broke down.

Mitterrand Becomes President (1981–1995)

In 1981, François Mitterrand won the presidential election, becoming the first socialist president of France's Fifth Republic. His party also won a large majority of seats in the National Assembly.

Mitterrand's government made many big changes. They took control of banks, insurance companies, and defense industries for the state. They also increased workers' wages and reduced working hours. Important reforms included ending the death penalty and creating a solidarity tax on wealth for rich people.

However, France faced economic problems. In 1982, Mitterrand decided to focus on keeping France part of the European economic system, which meant slowing down some of his socialist reforms. By 1984, the government stopped most new socialist policies.

The PS lost its majority in 1986, and Mitterrand had to work with a conservative government. He was re-elected president in 1988 with a more moderate plan. During his second term, he focused on foreign policy and European cooperation.

Towards the end of his presidency, the party faced financial scandals and internal disagreements. In the 1993 elections, the PS lost a lot of seats.

Jospin and the Plural Left (1995–2002)

In 1995, Lionel Jospin became the PS candidate for president. He lost to Jacques Chirac, but his good performance helped the party recover.

In 1997, the PS formed a group called the "Plural Left" with other left-wing parties, including the Communists and the Greens. This alliance won the 1997 elections, and Jospin became Prime Minister. His government introduced a law that reduced the working week to 35 hours and created universal health insurance.

In the 2002 presidential election, Jospin was surprisingly eliminated in the first round. The PS then asked its supporters to vote for Chirac to stop a far-right candidate from winning. After this, Jospin left politics, and the "Plural Left" lost the next election.

After 2002 and New Challenges

François Hollande became the First Secretary of the party in 1997 and was re-elected in 2003. In 2004, the Socialists made a big comeback in regional elections, winning control of most regions in France.

However, the party faced disagreements, especially over the proposed European Constitution in 2005. Some members supported it, while others campaigned against it. This caused some tension within the party.

2007 and 2012 Presidential Elections

From left to right: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Bertrand Delanoë and Ségolène Royal at a meeting in 2007.

In 2006, party members chose Ségolène Royal as their candidate for the 2007 French presidential election. She reached the second round but lost to Nicolas Sarkozy. After this, some party leaders blamed Royal for the loss.

In 2011, the Socialist Party held an open primary election to choose their candidate for the 2012 French presidential election. François Hollande, a former party leader, won the primary. He then went on to defeat Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential election on May 6, 2012, becoming the new president of France.

Recent Elections (2017-2024)

In the 2017 French presidential election, the Socialist Party's candidate, Benoît Hamon, finished in fifth place. This was a very low result for the party. After the election, the party lost many seats in the National Assembly, going from 280 seats to only 30.

Rue de Solférino, a former party headquarters in Paris.

Due to financial problems, the party had to sell its historic headquarters in Paris in 2017 and moved to a smaller office. In 2018, Olivier Faure was elected as the new First Secretary.

In the 2022 French presidential election, the Socialist Party candidate, Anne Hidalgo, received the lowest percentage of votes in the party's history.

For the 2022 French legislative election, the Socialist Party joined a left-wing alliance called the New Ecologic and Social People's Union (NUPES). As part of this alliance, the PS won 27 seats in the National Assembly.

In the 2024 French legislative election, the party again joined a left-wing alliance, the New Popular Front. This alliance helped the Socialist Party more than double its seats in the National Assembly.

Party Leaders

The Socialist Party has had several leaders, called "First Secretaries," since its creation:

Alain Savary (1969–1971)
François Mitterrand (1971–1981)
Lionel Jospin (1981–1988)
Pierre Mauroy (1988–1992)
Laurent Fabius (1992–1993)
Michel Rocard (1993–1994)
Henri Emmanuelli (1994–1995)
Lionel Jospin (1995–1997)
François Hollande (1997–2008)
Martine Aubry (2008–2012)
Harlem Désir (2012–2014)
Jean-Christophe Cambadélis (2014–2017)
Rachid Temal (2017–2018; acting)
Olivier Faure (2018–present)

Election Results

The Socialist Party takes part in different elections in France and Europe. Here are some of their results:

Presidential Elections

Presidency of the French Republic
Election year	Candidate	First round			Second round			Result
Election year	Candidate	Votes	%	Rank	Votes	%	Rank	Result
1974	François Mitterrand	11,044,373	43.25	1st	12,971,604	49.19	2nd	Lost
1981		7,505,960	25.85	2nd	15,708,262	51.76	1st	Won
1988		10,367,220	34.10	1st	16,704,279	54.02	1st	Won
1995	Lionel Jospin	7,097,786	23.30	1st	14,180,644	47.36	2nd	Lost
2002	Lionel Jospin	4,610,113	16.18	3rd	N/A			Lost
2007	Ségolène Royal	9,500,112	25.87	2nd	16,790,440	46.94	2nd	Lost
2012	François Hollande	10,272,705	28.63	1st	18,000,668	51.64	1st	Won
2017	Benoît Hamon	2,291,288	6.36	5th	N/A			Lost
2022	Anne Hidalgo	616,478	1.75	10th	N/A			Lost

National Assembly Elections

Year	1st round				2nd round				Seats	+/–	Result	Note
National Assembly
Year	Votes	%	± pp	Rank	Votes	%	± pp	Rank	Seats	+/–	Result	Note
1973	4,559,241	19.18%	2.65	3rd	5,564,610	23.72%	2.47	2nd	89 / 491	32	Opposition	In coalition with the MRG
1978	6,451,151	22.58%	3.40	2nd	7,212,916	28.31%	4.59	1st	104 / 491	15	Opposition
1981	9,432,362	37.52%	14.94	1st	9,198,332	49.25%	20.94	1st	269 / 491	165	Government	In coalition with the MRG
1986	8,693,939	31.02%	6.50	1st	N/A				206 / 573	63	Opposition
1988	8,493,702	34.77%	3.75	1st	9,198,778	45.31%	3.94	1st	260 / 577	54	Government
1993	4,415,495	17.61%	17.16	3rd	6,143,179	31.01%	14.30	1st	59 / 577	201	Opposition
1997	5,977,045	23.49%	5.88	1st	9,722,022	38.20%	7.19	1st	255 / 577	196	Government
2002	6,086,599	24.11%	0.62	2nd	7,482,169	35.26%	2.94	2nd	140 / 577	115	Opposition
2007	6,436,520	24.73%	0.62	2nd	8,624,861	42.27%	7.01	2nd	186 / 577	46	Opposition
2012	7,618,326	29.35%	4.62	1st	9,420,889	40.91%	1.36	1st	279 / 577	93	Government
2017	1,685,677	7.44%	21.91	5th	1,032,842	5.68%	35.23	4th	30 / 577	249	Opposition
2022	860,201	3.78%	3.66	7th	1,084,909	5.23%	0.45	6th	28 / 577	2	Opposition	In coalition with the NUPES
2024	2,774,088	8.65%	4.87	4th	2,634,176	9.66%	4.43	3rd	65 / 577	37	Opposition	In coalition with the New Popular Front

European Parliament Elections

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	EP Group
1979	François Mitterrand	4,763,026	23.53 (#2)	20 / 81	New	SOC
1984	Lionel Jospin	4,188,875	20.76 (#2)	20 / 81	0
1989	Laurent Fabius	4,286,354	23.61 (#2)	17 / 87	3
1994	Michel Rocard	2,824,173	14.49 (#2)	15 / 87	2	PES
1999	François Hollande	3,873,901	21.95 (#1)	18 / 78	3
2004	François Hollande	4,960,756	28.90 (#1)	31 / 74	13
2009	Martine Aubry	2,838,160	16.48 (#2)	14 / 74	17	S&D
2014	Jean-Christophe Cambadélis	2,649,202	13.98 (#3)	12 / 74	2
2019	Raphaël Glucksmann	1,403,170	6.19 (#6)	3 / 79	9
2024	Raphaël Glucksmann	3,401,076	13.80 (#3)	10 / 81	7