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(1844–1912). As a prominent figure in French socialism , Brousse was a Parisian deputy (1906–10) and leader of the so-called Possibilist grouping. He had trained as a doctor, and initially supported the far left. He became a member of the Jura Federation, a branch of the International Working Men's Association, and was an advocate of anarchism . Due to the expulsion of socialists from France after the paris commune , he spent much of the 1870s in Switzerland where he was imprisoned twice for his outspoken views and behaviour. He returned to France in 1880 whereupon he distanced himself from the anarchists, joining the Parti Ouvrier of guesde , before breaking away to found the Fédération des Travailleurs Socialistes de France, which became known as the Possibilists. As one of the many factions in French socialism, they rejected Guesde's doctrinal rigour. Instead they favored a gradualist route to power through the ballot box and advocated a form of moderate municipal socialism, together with cooperation with middle-class parliamentary parties. Loosely organized and largely Paris-based, the Possibilists were never very successful at the polls, winning a mere two seats in the 1889 elections. In the following year the group split, generating yet another faction (the Allemanists) led by the ex-Communard Jean Allemane. In 1902 the Possibilists threw in their lot with the Parti Socialiste ... log in or subscribe to read full text