in january 1879, the republican jules grévy was elected as president of the republic, succeeding the monarchist macmahon. from this time, with the progressive disappearance of the monarchists the moderates began to move toward the parliamentary centre between the old rights (bonapartist and reunited monarchists) and the new lefts (radical-socialists, marxists and blanquists). to prevent a return to a monarchy-like creation of a socialist state, the two radical and moderate republicans spirits decided to cooperate and form common governments despite the personal antagonism between grévy and gambetta, who died in 1882.