The
Opportunist Republicans , also known as the
Moderates , were a faction of
French Republicans who believed, after the proclamation of the
Third Republic in 1870, that the regime could only be consolidated by
successive phases. Considered to be on the
centre-left of the political spectrum at the time, they dominated
French politics from 1876 to the 1890s, and were rivalled to their left by various more radical
socialist parties. Despite the pejorative connotation of this label, the "Opportunists" were able to reinforce Republican tendencies in the country in a time when monarchist forces were still strong.