Editing Allier (section)

=== History of the left in Allier ===
The department was distinguished by communist votes in early voting which continued until after the [[Second World War]] with the two major political parties of the left being the [[French Communist Party|PCF]] and the [[SFIO]] which have now become the Socialist Party.

The small town of [[Commentry]] has the distinction of being the first town in France<ref name="Agnès Roche p. 111">Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 111 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> to elect a socialist mayor in 1882: [[Christophe Thivrier]]. Another local figure, [[Pierre Brizon]], an MP in 1910, was typically a member for sharecroppers.<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 108–109 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

Earlier, Ledru-Rollin achieved a very good result in 1848 (14%) with Democratic and socialist candidates in the following year (44% of the vote, against 35% for all of France).<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 109 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Similarly, resistance to the coup of 2 December 1851 was important after an attempt to support the uprising in June 1849.<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 109–110 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Republicans were in the majority in 1876 and held all six parliamentary seats.<ref name="Agnès Roche p. 111" /> After neighbouring results of 15% of enrolled voters from 1893 to 1906 the Socialists rose to 31% of enrolled votes (42% of those cast) in 1910 and maintained this in 1914<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 111–112 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

Allier remains a land of rural communism (still 14.66% in the 2004 regional elections – the second best result for the party after [[Somme (department)|Somme]]) in a sometimes difficult cohabitation with the Socialist Party.

For the causes of their success it may be noted that historically Allier has been a department where vast properties were combined into [[sharecropping]]. Sharecropping only spread in the 15th century<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 105 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> and was not disturbed by the sale of national assets to the Revolution.<ref name=Roche106>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 106 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> In the 19th century large properties (100 hectares or more) occupied about half of the land, and even more than 70% in the north of the department. In the south, small properties dominate.<ref name=Roche106 />

Sharecropping continued as a form of land development and it involved 40% of the land in 1892 (only 7% overall for France).<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 107 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Adverse conditions made sharecroppers promote the creation of rural unions between 1904 and 1911 (the third greatest number per department in France after [[Hérault]] and [[Landes (department)|Landes]]). Despite poor results the mobilization was important and promoted the election of left-wing candidates.<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 107–108 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
* [[List of senators of Allier]]
* [[Communes of the Allier department]]