8 December 1899

Unifying French Socialists

The Dreyfus affair had divided the French socialists on their attitude towards the (bourgeois) republican government. The 1899 socialist conference in Salle Japy in Paris, for the first time brought together all socialist factions. On the last day, 8 December, they finally agreed on a general committee for one united party. The agreement did not hold out very long. The conflict escalated as Alexandre Millerand became the first socialist to enter in a bourgeois government. The next conference in 1902 still saw the creation of two parties: the Parti Socialiste Français (around Jean Jaurès) and the Parti Socialiste de France (around Jules Guesde).

See also:

•  Jules Guesde Papers
•  PSF Archives

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