Mostly Third Republic, they were the main party in French politics then. They were a strongly secular (and anti-clerical) party that passed the 1905 law on secularism. Their first major win was the 1902 election, they lost in 1919 to the right, but came back in the next election as the dominant party of the Cartel des Gauches and for a while in the Front Populaire. Their decline started by the 1936 election when the SFIO replaced them as dominant party of the FP. They participated in the third force of the fourth republic but they were rapidly declining and the 5th republic was well.. not too good for them seeing they split into parties with crazy abbreviations (RGR, MGR...)
Thanks
Has France always been geographically polarised between Left and Right? Are the areas where the Left Radicals used to dominate now PS 'fiefdoms' (for want of a better word)? I gather the PCF are weak compared to what they were too
I don't know very much about French politics
Dave
