View source for Liberal Democracy (France)

{{short description|Former French political party}}
{{expand French}}
{{Infobox political party
| colorcode = {{party color|Liberal Democracy (France)}}
| name = Liberal Democracy
| native_name = Démocratie libérale
| logo = Liberal Democracy (France)logo.png
| logo_size = 150px
| leader1_title = President
| leader1_name = [[Alain Madelin]]
| leader2_title = Vice President
| leader2_name = [[Jean-Pierre Raffarin]]
| foundation = {{Start date|1997|06|24|df=y}}
| dissolution = {{End date|2002|11|17|df=y}}
| predecessor = [[Republican Party (France)|Republican Party]]
| merged = [[Union for a Popular Movement]]
| headquarters = Paris
| youth_wing = Young Liberals
| ideology = {{nowrap|[[Conservative liberalism]]<ref name="Louis2011"/><br />[[Classical liberalism]]}}
| position = [[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]]<ref>{{cite news |title=44 Asylum Seekers in Channel Tunnel Trek |first=Patrick |last=Bishop |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1339071/44-asylum-seekers-in-Channel-Tunnel-trek.html |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=31 August 2001 |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref>
| international = 
| european = 
| europarl = [[European People's Party Group|European People's Party]]
| colours = {{Color box|{{party color|Liberal Democracy (France)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]]
| country = France
}}

'''Liberal Democracy''' ({{langx|fr|Démocratie libérale}}, {{IPA|fr|demɔkʁasi libeʁal|}}, '''DL''') was a [[conservative liberalism|conservative-liberal]]<ref name="Louis2011">{{cite book|author=Carol Diane St Louis|title=Negotiating Change: Approaches to and the Distributional Implications of Social Welfare and Economic Reform|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EW-zz_H54LMC&pg=PA105|accessdate=19 August 2012|year=2011|publisher=Stanford University|pages=105–|id=STANFORD:RW793BX2256}}</ref><ref name="PlehweWalpen2004">{{cite book|author1=Dieter Plehwe|author2=Bernhard Walpen|editor=Klaus-Gerd Giesen|chapter=Buena Vista Neoliberal?|title=Ideologien in der Weltpolitik|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkEhBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA80|year=2004|publisher=Springer-Verlag|isbn=978-3-322-87372-9|page=80}}</ref> [[List of political parties in France|political party]] in France which existed from 1997 to 2002. Led by [[Alain Madelin]], it replaced the [[Republican Party (France)|Republican Party]] (PR), the classical liberal component of the [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF). It merged into the [[Union for a Popular Movement]] (UMP) between the two rounds of the [[2002 French presidential election|2002 presidential election]].

==History==
After Madelin won the leadership of the Republican Party on 24 June 1997 with 59.9% of the vote,<ref name="de Boissieu">{{cite web |url=http://www.france-politique.fr/parti-republicain.htm |title=Démocratie Libérale |first=Laurent |last=de Boissieu |date=18 January 2012 |publisher=France Politique |accessdate=16 June 2012}}
</ref> he renamed the organisation 'Liberal Democracy', and moved the party further towards [[economic liberalism]].<ref name="Bell 88">{{cite book |title=French Politics Today |last=Bell |first=David S. |year=2002 |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=Manchester |isbn=9780719058769 |page=88 |accessdate=June 15, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s2lIt4ssdQMC}}</ref>  This followed the formation of the [[Democratic Force (France)|Democratic Force]] (FD) by the centrist, [[Christian democracy|Christian democratic]] component of the [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF), leading to internal rivalry.<ref name="Van Hecke 208">Van Hecke and Gerard (2004), p. 208</ref>

Liberal Democracy became independent in 1998, after a split from the UDF.  The immediate cause of this departure was Liberal Democracy's refusal to condemn the election of four UDF president of [[Regional Council (France)|Regional Councils]] with the votes of the [[National Front (France)|National Front]].  However, the party had already feared that a tighter UDF would be dominated by economic centrists, preventing his free-market policies being heard.<ref>{{cite news |title=New name, old confusion |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/1998/05/21/new-name-old-confusion |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=21 May 2008 |access-date=14 June 2012}}</ref>

Thus, Liberal Democracy voted on 16 May 1998 to become a separate party,<ref name="Sauger 132" /> with Madelin launching the 'Ten Tough Choices' programme advocating transforming the political debate in France.<ref name="Sauger 134">Sauger (2004), p. 134</ref>  The economic liberals that refused to break ranks with the UDF launched the [[Independent Republican and Liberal Pole]], which later merged with FD and the so-called 'Direct Adherents' to form the New UDF.<ref name="de Boissieu" />

In the [[1999 European Parliament election in France|1999 EU elections]] DL ran with the [[Rally for the Republic|RPR]] list led by [[Nicolas Sarkozy]].  However, the pro-European tone of the RPR-DL campaign deceived and the list was placed in third, behind the eurosceptic [[Rally for France|RPF]] list led by [[Charles Pasqua]] and [[Philippe de Villiers]]. DL obtained four MEPs: [[Alain Madelin]], [[Françoise Grossetête]], [[Thierry Jean-Pierre]] and [[Hervé Novelli]].

In the [[2002 French presidential election|2002 presidential election]], the party split; while Alain Madelin obtained only 3.91% of the votes, party's Vice-President [[Jean-Pierre Raffarin]] endorsed incumbent [[Jacques Chirac]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Jean-Pierre Raffarin, France's new man |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2002/05/09/jean-pierre-raffarin-frances-new-man |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=9 May 2002 |access-date=14 June 2012}}</ref>  After Chirac won, he appointed Raffarin as [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]] on 6 May 2002.  At the [[2002 French legislative election|June 2002 legislative election]], DL competed in alliance with the [[Rally for the Republic]] and other Chirac supporters as the Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP).  On 21 September 2002, DL voted by 15,770 votes to 2,930 to merge with the RPR and pro-Chirac elements of the UDF.<ref name="de Boissieu" />  The merger was completed on 17 November 2002, creating the [[Union for a Popular Movement]].<ref name="de Boissieu" />

==Ideology==
[[File:Alain Madelin.jpg|thumb|right|The [[classical liberalism|classical liberal]] platform adopted by Liberal Democracy mirrored the personal views of its founder and President, Alain Madelin.]]
The party advocated [[classical liberalism]]: promoting less government intervention as the solution to both economic and social problems.<ref name="Bell 88" />  In [[René Rémond]]'s schematic of the French right, it represented the [[Orléanist]] strain.<ref name="Bell 88" />  In contrast to the 'advanced liberalism' of [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]], which still involved social conservatism, Madelin's was more consistently classical liberal and economically similar to [[Thatcherism]].<ref name="Van Hecke 208"/><ref>{{cite news |title=François Bayrou, France's would-be president |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2000/11/23/francois-bayrou-frances-would-be-president |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=23 November 2000 |access-date=14 June 2012}}</ref>

On economics, DL was systematically more free-market than the UDF.<ref name="Sauger 136">Sauger (2004), p. 136</ref>  In 1998, the party advocated cutting spending from 50% to 45% within five years,<ref name="Sauger 136" /> along with reducing the top [[income tax]] rate to 35%.<ref name="Sauger 135">Sauger (2004), p. 135</ref>  Madelin had been fired as [[Minister of the Economy, Finances and Industry (France)|Minister of the Economy and Finances]] in [[Alain Juppé]]'s government for proposing cutting public sector pay and benefits.<ref>{{cite news |title=France's First-Round Presidential Ballot Takes Shape |first=John |last=Tagliabue |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/world/france-s-first-round-presidential-ballot-takes-shape.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=3 April 2002 |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref>  As a presidential candidate in 2002, he renewed these calls, along with widespread public sector competition and [[privatisation]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Know your Le Pens from your Laguillers |first=Jon |last=Henley |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/19/worlddispatch.france |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=19 April 2002 |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref>

It was also more secular than the UDF's centrist, Christian democratic elements from which it split, despite being dominated by well-known Catholics.<ref name="Bell 88" />  Reflecting this Catholicism, the party was morally conservative,<ref name="Baldersheim 76">{{cite book |title=Political Leadership in a Global Age: The Experience of France and Norway |last1=Baldersheim |first1=Harald |last2=Daloz |first2=Jean-Pascal |year=2003 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |location=London |isbn=9780754635567 |page=88 |accessdate=June 15, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OMn-Upk4tpYC}}</ref> if not always conservative in social policy, and also emphasised anti-corruption, thanks particularly to judge [[Thierry Jean-Pierre]].<ref name="Bell 88" />  The party strongly opposed the dominance of [[École nationale d'administration]] in public life, with its MPs calling in 2002 for its funding to be halved.<ref>{{cite news |title=MPs take aim at a symbol of the elite |first=Jon |last=Henley |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/08/1036308479411.html |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=9 November 2002 |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref>

In foreign policy, Liberal Democracy was strongly pro-American.  Madelin set himself apart from the rest of the right after [[September 11 attacks]] by advocating total support for the United States.<ref name="Buckley 92">{{cite book |title=Global Responses to Terrorism: 9/11, Afghanistan, and Beyond |last1=Buckley |first1=Mary E. A. |last2=Fawn |first2=Rick |year=2003 |publisher=Psychology Press |location=New York |isbn=9780415314305 |page=92 |accessdate=June 15, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OcKYZdopjJkC}}</ref>

==Political support==
After its split, Liberal Democracy gained about one-third of the UDF's supporters.<ref name="Sauger 129">Sauger (2004), p. 129</ref>  The party had significant support in rural areas.<ref name="Bell 88" />

DL's supporters were overall wealthy, highly educated, and from a high [[socio-economic class]], even compared to the New UDF.<ref name="Sauger 132">Sauger (2004), p. 132</ref>  42% of DL voters earned over €22,500 a year, compared to 33% of New UDF.<ref name="Sauger 132" />  The party was firmly backed by managers, who made up 24% of DL's voters (18% for the New UDF); only 4% of DL voters were manual workers (13% for the New UDF).<ref name="Sauger 131–2">Sauger (2004), p. 131–2</ref>  50% of DL voters had high school diplomas, compared to 40% of New UDF voters.<ref name="Sauger 132" />

==Leaders==
Throughout its existence, [[Alain Madelin]] was Liberal Democracy's only President, with [[Jean-Pierre Raffarin]] as his Vice-President.

===Leaders in the National Assembly===
* [[José Rossi]] (1998–2000)
* [[Jean-François Mattei]] (2000–2002)
* [[François d'Aubert]] (2002)

==See also==
* [[Liberal Democratic Party (France)]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |title=How Political Parties Respond: Interest Aggregation Revisited |last=Sauger |first=Nicolas |editor1-last=Lawson |editor1-first=Kay |editor2-last=Poguntke |editor2-first=Thomas |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=9780415347976 |accessdate=June 15, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wff5RtXnNHAC}}
* {{cite book |title=Christian Democratic Parties In Europe Since The End Of The Cold War |last1=Van Hecke |first1=Steven |last2=Gerard |first2=Emmanuel |year=2004 |publisher=Leuven University Press |location=Leuven |isbn=9789058673770 |accessdate=June 15, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJ6x8zmRAaEC}}

==External links==
* {{cite news |title=Alain Madelin, failing for France |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2002/01/31/alain-madelin-failing-for-france |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=31 January 2002 |access-date=14 June 2012}}
* {{cite news |title=U.S.-Style Conservative Runs as Outsider in France |first=Marlise |last=Simons |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/16/world/us-style-conservative-runs-as-outsider-in-france.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=16 April 2002 |accessdate=14 June 2012}}

{{French centrist parties}}

[[Category:Classical liberal parties]]
[[Category:Conservative liberal parties]]
[[Category:Defunct liberal political parties]]
[[Category:Political parties of the French Fifth Republic]]
[[Category:Union for French Democracy]]
[[Category:Right-wing parties in France]]