Liberalism in Germany
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Contributions to liberal theory |
This article aims to give an historical overview of liberalism in Germany. The liberal parties dealt with in the timeline below are, largely, those which received sufficient support at one time or another to have been represented in parliament. Not all parties so included, however, necessarily labeled themselves "liberal". The sign ⇒ is used to point to other parties included in the timeline.
Introduction
The early high points of liberalism in Germany were the Hambacher Fest (1832) and the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. In the National Assembly in the Frankfurt Paulskirche (1848/1849), the bourgeios liberal factions Casino and Württemberger Hof (the latter led by Heinrich von Gagern) were the majority. They favored a constitutional monarchy, popular sovereignty, and parliamentary law. Organized liberalism developed in the 1860s, combining the previous liberal and democratic currents. Between 1867 and 1933 liberalism was divided in a progressive liberal and a national liberal current. Since 1945 there is one rather influential liberal party. This Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei, member LI), ELDR is nowadays a right of center market liberal party.
Timeline
From German Progressive Party to German State Party
- 1861: Liberals united in the German Progressive Party (Deutsche Fortschrittspartei)
- 1863: A radical South German faction seceded as the ⇒ Democratic People's Party
- 1867: The moderate faction seceded as the ⇒ National Liberal Party
- 1884: The party merged with the ⇒ Liberal Union into the German Freeminded Party (Deutsche Freisinnige Partei)
- 1893: The party split in the Freeminded People's Party (Freisinnige Volkspartei) and the ⇒ Freethinking Union
- 1910: The FVP merged with the ⇒ Freethinking Union and the ⇒ German People's Party into the Progressive People's Party (Fortschrittliche Volkspartei)
- 1918: The party is reorganised into the German Democratic Party (Deutsche Demokratische Partei), incorporating parts of the ⇒ National Liberal Party
- 1930: The DDP in an attempt to survive reorganised itself into the German State Party (Deutsche Staatspartei)
- 1933: The party is banned by the Nazis
Democratic People's Party / German People's Party (1868)
- 1863: A radical faction of the ⇒ German Progressive Party formed the Democratic People's Party (Demokratische Volkspartei), renamed 1868 German People's Party (Deutsche Volkspartei)
- 1910: The DVP merged into the ⇒ Progressive People's Party
National Liberal Party / German People's Party (1918)
National Liberals
- 1867: A right-wing faction of the ⇒ German Progressive Party formed the National Liberal Party (Nationalliberale Partei)
- 1871: A conservative faction of NLP formed the Imperial Liberal Party (Liberale Reichspartei)
- 1880: A left-wing faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Union
- 1918: The NLP is reorganised into the German People's Party (Deutsche Volkspartei), part of the party joined the German Democratic Party
- 1933: The party is dissolved
Liberal Union
- 1880: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ National Liberal Party formed the Liberal Union (Liberale Vereinigung)
- 1884: The party merged with the ⇒ German Progressive Party into the ⇒ German Freeminded Party
Freeminded Union
- 1893: The ⇒ German Freeminded Party split into the Freeminded Union (Freisinnige Vereinigung) and the ⇒ Freeminded People's Party
- 1903: The ⇒ National Social Union joined the Freeminded Union
- 1908: A left-wing faction seceded as the ⇒ Democratic Union
- 1910: The party merged into the ⇒ Progressive People's Party
National Social Union
- 1896: The National Social Union (Nationalsoziale Verein) is formed
- 1903: The party is dissolved and members joined the ⇒ Freeminded Union
Democratic Union
- 1908: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Freeminded Union formed the Democratic Union (Demokratische Vereinigung)
- 1910: The party merged into the ⇒ Progressive People's Party
From Liberal Democratic Party of Germany to Alliance of Free Democrats (GDR)
- 1945: Liberals in East Germany re-organised themselves into the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (Liberaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands). Since 1949 the party is under control of the communist dictatorship
- 1990: The LDPD regained its liberal profile and is renamed Liberal Democratic Party (Liberaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands), Alliance of Free Democrats (Bund Freier Demokraten), absorbed the National Democratic Party of Germany (Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands) and the German Forum Party (Deutsche Forumpartei) and finally merged into present-day ⇒ Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party
- 1945-1946: Liberals in West Germany re-organised themselves in regional parties
- 1948: The regional liberal parties merged into the Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei)
- 1956: A conservative faction seceded and formed the Free People's Party (Freie Volkspartei)
- 1982: A left-wing faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Democrats
- 1990: The FDP incorporated the ⇒ Alliance of Free Democrats
Liberal Democrats
- 1982: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Free Democratic Party formed the present-day Liberal Democrats (Liberale Demokraten), without success
Liberal leaders
- Liberals before 1918: Rudolf von Bennigsen - Eugen Richter
- Freisinn: Theodor Barth - Friedrich Naumann - Max Weber
- Deutsche Demokratische Partei: Walther Rathenau - Theodor Heuss
- Deutsche Volkspartei: Gustav Stresemann
- LDPD (East-Germany): Wilhelm Külz
- Freie Demokratische Partei: Ralf Dahrendorf - Karl-Hermann Flach - Hans-Dietrich Genscher - Walter Scheel
Liberal thinkers
In the Contributions to liberal theory the following German thinkers are included:
- Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
- August Ludwig von Schlözer (1735-1809)
- Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835)
- Ludwig Joseph Brentano (1844-1931)
- Friedrich Naumann (1860-1919)
- Max Weber (1864-1920)
- Walther Rathenau (1867-1922)
- Wilhelm Röpke (1899-1966)
- Ralf Dahrendorf (1929- )
References
p.m.