Originally, the Moderate Republicans was a group of politicians, writers and journalists close to the newspaper "Le National". After the February Revolution of 1848, they became the official majority group in the Provisional Government led by Louis-Eugène Cavaignac, François Arago and Dupont de l'Eure that became the official head of the government. Reputed to be the winners of the 1848 Constituent Assembly election, the Moderate Republicans were strategically allied to The Mountain, the left-wing group, against the monarchists.