Free Democratic Party (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal
political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler
and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union
(Christian Democratic Union
and Christian Social Union
) in the German federal government. The FDP fraction has 93 members and is currently the third largest in the Bundestag
.
It was founded in 1948 by members of the former liberal parties existing in Germany before World War II, the German Democratic Party and the German People's Party
. For most of the Federal Republic's history, it has held the balance of power
in the Bundestag
. It has been in federal government longer than any other party, as the junior coalition partner to either the CDU/CSU (1949–56, 1961–66, 1982–98, and since 2009) or the Social Democratic Party
(1969–82).
The FDP, which strongly supports human rights, civil liberties
, and internationalism
, has shifted from the centre
to the centre-right over time. Since the 1980s, the party has firmly pushed economic liberalism
, and has aligned itself closely to the promotion of free market
s and privatisation. It is a member of the Liberal International
and European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
, and is the joint-largest member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
group in the European Parliament
.
The FDP was founded on 11 December 1948 through the merger of nine regional liberal parties formed in 1945 from the remnants of the pre-1933 German People's Party
(DVP) and the German Democratic Party (DDP), which had been active in the Weimar Republic
.These nine regionally organised liberal parties were the Bremian Democratic People's Party (BDV) in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, the Democratic Party of Southern and Middle Baden (DemP) in the State of South Baden
, the Democratic Party (DP) in the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
, the Democratic People's Party of Northern Württemberg-Northern Baden
(DVP) in the State of Württemberg-Baden
, the Democratic People's Party of Southern Württemberg-Hohenzollern
(DVP) in the State of Württemberg-Hohenzollern
, the united Free Democratic Party (F.D.P.) of the British zone of occupation, the Free Democratic Party (F.D.P.) in the Free State of Bavaria, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the State of Hesse, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Berlin (West)
. Cf. Almut Leh and Alexander von Plato, Ein unglaublicher Frühling: erfahrene Geschichte im Nachkriegsdeutschland 1945 - 1948, Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (ed.), Bonn: Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung, 1997, p. 77. ISBN 3-89331-298-6 The FDP's first Chairman, Theodor Heuss
, was formerly a member of the DDP and after the war of the Democratic People's Party (DVP)
.
In all federal election campaigns since the 1980s, the party sided with the CDU and CSU, the main conservative parties in Germany. An exception to the party policy was made in the 2002 campaign, in which it adopted a position of "equidistance" to the CDU and SPD. Following German reunification in 1990, the FDP merged with the Association of Free Democrats
, a grouping of liberals from East Germany and the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
. During the 1990s, the FDP won between 6.2 and 11 percent of the vote in Bundestag elections. It last participated in the federal government by representing the junior partner in the government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl
of the CDU.
the party won 9.8 percent of the vote and 61 federal deputies, an unpredicted improvement from prior opinion polls. It is believed that this was partly due to tactical voting
by CDU and Christian Social Union of Bavaria
(CSU) alliance supporters who hoped for stronger market-oriented economic reforms than the CDU/CSU alliance called for. However, because the CDU did worse than predicted, the FDP and the CDU/CSU alliance were unable to form a coalition government. At other times, for example after the 2002 federal election, a coalition between the FDP and CDU/CSU was impossible primarily because of the weak results of the FDP.
The CDU/CSU parties had achieved the 3rd worst performance in German postwar history with only 35.2 percent of the votes. Therefore, the FDP wasn't able to form a coalition with its preferred partners, the CDU/CSU parties. As a result, the party was considered as a potential member of two other political coalition
s, following the election. One possibility was a partnership between the FDP, the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD) and the Alliance 90/The Greens, known as a "traffic light coalition
", named after the colors of the three parties. This coalition was ruled out, because the FDP considered the Social Democrats and the Greens insufficiently committed to market-oriented economic reform. The other possibility was a CDU-FDP-Green coalition, known as a "Jamaica coalition" because of the colours of the three parties. This coalition wasn't concluded either, since the Greens ruled out participation in any coalition with the CDU/CSU. Instead, the CDU formed a Grand coalition
with the SPD, and the FDP entered the opposition
. FDP leader Guido Westerwelle
became the unofficial leader of the opposition by virtue of the FDP's position as the largest opposition party in the Bundestag.
The party also made gains in the two state elections held at the same time, acquiring sufficient seats for a CDU-FDP coalition in the northernmost state, Schleswig-Holstein
and gaining enough votes in left leaning Brandenburg
to clear the 5% hurdle to enter that state's parliament.
Westerwelle stepped down as party leader in 2011 after bad state election results in Saxony-Anhalt
, Rhineland-Palatinate
, and Baden-Württemberg
. He was replaced on 13 May 2011 by Philipp Rösler
. Since this switch, FDP received 2.4% of the vote in Bremen
and 1.8% in Berlin
, failing to receive the 5% required to get into the Bürgerschaft.
ideology, advocating liberalism in both the economic sphere
and social sphere
. The current guidelines of the FDP are enshrined in the principles of Wiesbaden. A key objective of the FDP is the "strengthening of freedom and individual responsibility".
ideas of the parties represented in the German federal parliament. The main goal is the creation of jobs by creating incentives for private investments. This shall be achieved, among other measures, through reduced bureaucracy, privatisation
, deregulation
, through removal of subsidies
, and reform of collective bargaining
. The national debt shall be reduced. The party supports globalisation
.
In the tax policy a simple tax code is called for. The party supports a bracket income tax
system, as opposed to the current 'linear' system, and, in the long-term a flat tax
. Through tax cuts, the purchasing power of employees will be increased and the economy will be stimulated.
In energy policy, the FDP calls for a combination of nuclear, coal, oil and gas and renewable energy for electricity production. The phasing out of nuclear power
is seen critically by the FDP.
(Bürgergeld), which collects all the tax-financed social welfare and social security
funds of the state. The social security funds should be supplemented through privately-funded schemes.
The common view in the party is a critical attitude towards the state and to conservative and egalitarian
social policies. Under the slogan "As much government as necessary, as little government as possible," the FDP tries to limit the state involvement in the life of the individual as far as possible. The unifying stance for them is the idea of "creating and maintaining the freedom of individuals". Thus the party supported nearly all social liberalizations that have been implemented in the federal republic.
Throughout its history, the FDP's policies have shifted between emphasis on social liberalism
and economic liberalism
. Since the 1980s, the FDP has maintained a consistent pro-business stance. The FDP supports strong competition law
s and a minimum standard of welfare protection for every citizen. In addition, the FDP endorses to complement the social welfare and health care system
s with laws that would require every employed citizen to invest in a private social security
account.
Today, the FDP supports some gay rights; former party leader Guido Westerwelle
is openly gay. In 2001 however, before his come out, Westerwelle himself spoke out against gay rights provided by the Lebenspartnerschaftsgesetz as being harmful for marriage and family. The gay Green Party politician Volker Beck
also accused him of using his homosexuality as a defense for political mistakes.
in the phone and internet. The FDP is opposed to a tightening of the penal code, and instead supports for the recruitment of more police officers, judges, and prosecutors to improve security and speed up trials. In addition, improved rehabilitation is called for, especially for young offenders.
One objective of the FDP is the promotion of pre-school education. There shall be mandatory language tests at the age of four to detect linguistic weaknesses of children with immigrant backgrounds and train them in time for school. Half-day childcare shall be free, in accordance with the legal right to a kindergarten
place, from the third year of life and school enrolment. Language teaching shall constitute an integral part of the curriculum from grade one onwards.
The FDP calls for the establishment of full-day schools and the high school diploma after twelve years of schooling. In addition, the Liberals are opposed to all-day schools, because they believe that those schools are not performance-oriented enough and individual student support is not sufficiently guaranteed. The FDP supports tuition fees to fund the universities. It also calls for the abolition of laws and regulations to improve research conditions. The FDP opposed the 1996 spelling reform; as a result, their election manifestos are written in the previously conventional spelling.
party, although the minority national liberal
faction is soft eurosceptic. The FDP wants a politically-integrated EU with a Common Foreign and Security Policy
, but supported a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon
. The FDP advocates the accession of Turkey
to the EU, although this would require Turkey to fulfil all criteria.
. Timelines showing the number of seats and percentage of party list votes won are on the right.
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler
Philipp Rösler
Philipp Rösler is a German politician, who, since 2011, has been the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology and the Vice Chancellor of Germany...
and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union
CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU, unofficially also referred to as the Union parties or the Union, is the name of the Bundestag parliamentary faction comprising the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria , considered to be sister parties...
(Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
and Christian Social Union
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
) in the German federal government. The FDP fraction has 93 members and is currently the third largest in the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
.
It was founded in 1948 by members of the former liberal parties existing in Germany before World War II, the German Democratic Party and the German People's Party
German People's Party
The German People's Party was a national liberal party in Weimar Germany and a successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire.-Ideology:...
. For most of the Federal Republic's history, it has held the balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
in the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
. It has been in federal government longer than any other party, as the junior coalition partner to either the CDU/CSU (1949–56, 1961–66, 1982–98, and since 2009) or the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(1969–82).
The FDP, which strongly supports human rights, civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
, and internationalism
Internationalism (politics)
Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
, has shifted from the centre
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
to the centre-right over time. Since the 1980s, the party has firmly pushed economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
, and has aligned itself closely to the promotion of free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
s and privatisation. It is a member of the Liberal International
Liberal International
Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal parties. Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the...
and European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party is a European political party mainly active in the European Union, composed of 56 national-level liberal and liberal-democratic parties from across Europe...
, and is the joint-largest member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is the current liberal/centrist political group of the European Parliament...
group in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
History
German People's Party
The German People's Party was a national liberal party in Weimar Germany and a successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire.-Ideology:...
(DVP) and the German Democratic Party (DDP), which had been active in the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
.These nine regionally organised liberal parties were the Bremian Democratic People's Party (BDV) in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, the Democratic Party of Southern and Middle Baden (DemP) in the State of South Baden
South Baden
South Baden , formed in December 1945 from the southern half of the former Republic of Baden, was a subdivision of the French occupation zone of post-WWII Germany. The state was later renamed to Baden and became a founding state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949...
, the Democratic Party (DP) in the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, the Democratic People's Party of Northern Württemberg-Northern Baden
Democratic People's Party (Germany)
Democratic People's Party was the name of two liberal parties in southern Germany. It is not to be confused with the Deutsche Volkspartei of 1918 which used the same abbreviation DVP....
(DVP) in the State of Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Baden is a former state of Federal Republic of Germany. It was created in 1945 by the U.S. occupation forces, after the previous states of Baden and Württemberg had been split up between the US and French occupation zones. Its capital was Stuttgart...
, the Democratic People's Party of Southern Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Democratic People's Party (Germany)
Democratic People's Party was the name of two liberal parties in southern Germany. It is not to be confused with the Deutsche Volkspartei of 1918 which used the same abbreviation DVP....
(DVP) in the State of Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Württemberg-Hohenzollern was a historical state of West Germany. It was created in 1945 as part of the French occupation zone. Its capital was Tübingen...
, the united Free Democratic Party (F.D.P.) of the British zone of occupation, the Free Democratic Party (F.D.P.) in the Free State of Bavaria, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the State of Hesse, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Berlin (West)
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. Cf. Almut Leh and Alexander von Plato, Ein unglaublicher Frühling: erfahrene Geschichte im Nachkriegsdeutschland 1945 - 1948, Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (ed.), Bonn: Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung, 1997, p. 77. ISBN 3-89331-298-6 The FDP's first Chairman, Theodor Heuss
Theodor Heuss
Theodor Heuss was a liberal German politician who served as the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II from 1949 to 1959...
, was formerly a member of the DDP and after the war of the Democratic People's Party (DVP)
Democratic People's Party (Germany)
Democratic People's Party was the name of two liberal parties in southern Germany. It is not to be confused with the Deutsche Volkspartei of 1918 which used the same abbreviation DVP....
.
In all federal election campaigns since the 1980s, the party sided with the CDU and CSU, the main conservative parties in Germany. An exception to the party policy was made in the 2002 campaign, in which it adopted a position of "equidistance" to the CDU and SPD. Following German reunification in 1990, the FDP merged with the Association of Free Democrats
Association of Free Democrats
The Association of Free Democrats was a liberal coalition formed in East Germany on 12 February 1990. It originally consisted of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Free Democratic Party and the German Forum Party. In the Volkskammer election of the 18 March 1990 the Association of Free Democrats...
, a grouping of liberals from East Germany and the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the SED in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer.-Foundation:...
. During the 1990s, the FDP won between 6.2 and 11 percent of the vote in Bundestag elections. It last participated in the federal government by representing the junior partner in the government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
of the CDU.
2005 federal election
In the 2005 general electionGerman federal election, 2005
German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July...
the party won 9.8 percent of the vote and 61 federal deputies, an unpredicted improvement from prior opinion polls. It is believed that this was partly due to tactical voting
Tactical voting
In voting systems, tactical voting occurs, in elections with more than two viable candidates, when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her sincere preference in order to prevent an undesirable outcome.It has been shown by the Gibbard-Satterthwaite theorem that any voting method which is...
by CDU and Christian Social Union of Bavaria
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
(CSU) alliance supporters who hoped for stronger market-oriented economic reforms than the CDU/CSU alliance called for. However, because the CDU did worse than predicted, the FDP and the CDU/CSU alliance were unable to form a coalition government. At other times, for example after the 2002 federal election, a coalition between the FDP and CDU/CSU was impossible primarily because of the weak results of the FDP.
The CDU/CSU parties had achieved the 3rd worst performance in German postwar history with only 35.2 percent of the votes. Therefore, the FDP wasn't able to form a coalition with its preferred partners, the CDU/CSU parties. As a result, the party was considered as a potential member of two other political coalition
Political coalition
A political coalition or political alliance is an agreement for cooperation between different political parties on common political agenda, often for purposes of contesting an election to mutually benefit by collectively clearing election thresholds or otherwise benefiting from characteristics of...
s, following the election. One possibility was a partnership between the FDP, the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) and the Alliance 90/The Greens, known as a "traffic light coalition
Traffic light coalition
Traffic light coalition is a term originating in German politics where it describes a coalition of the Social Democratic Party , the Free Democratic Party , and The Greens. It arises from the fact that the parties' traditional colours, respectively red, yellow, and green, resemble the normal...
", named after the colors of the three parties. This coalition was ruled out, because the FDP considered the Social Democrats and the Greens insufficiently committed to market-oriented economic reform. The other possibility was a CDU-FDP-Green coalition, known as a "Jamaica coalition" because of the colours of the three parties. This coalition wasn't concluded either, since the Greens ruled out participation in any coalition with the CDU/CSU. Instead, the CDU formed a Grand coalition
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
with the SPD, and the FDP entered the opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
. FDP leader Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
became the unofficial leader of the opposition by virtue of the FDP's position as the largest opposition party in the Bundestag.
2009 federal election
In the national vote on September 27, 2009 the FDP increased its share of the vote by 4.8% to 14.6%, an all-time record so far. This percentage was enough to offset a decline in the CDU/CSU's vote compared to 2005, to create a CDU-FDP governing coalition in the Bundestag with a 53% majority of seats. On election night party leader Westerwelle said his party would work to ensure that civil liberties were respected and that Germany got an "equitable tax system and better education opportunities."The party also made gains in the two state elections held at the same time, acquiring sufficient seats for a CDU-FDP coalition in the northernmost state, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
and gaining enough votes in left leaning Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
to clear the 5% hurdle to enter that state's parliament.
Westerwelle stepped down as party leader in 2011 after bad state election results in Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2011
The Saxony-Anhalt state election was held on March 20, 2011 in Saxony-Anhalt for the 20th legislative period of the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt. The Minister-President since 2002 has been Wolfgang Böhmer , who formed a grand coalition with the SPD after the previous state election in 2006...
, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2011
The 2011 Rhineland-Palatinate state election was conducted on 27 March 2011 to elect all 101 members to the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was held by proportional representation with a 5% threshold...
, and Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011
The Baden-Württemberg state election 2011, was held on March 27, 2011, to elect members to Baden-Württemberg's State diet, the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. It was the 14th state election since the foundation of Baden-Württemberg in 1952...
. He was replaced on 13 May 2011 by Philipp Rösler
Philipp Rösler
Philipp Rösler is a German politician, who, since 2011, has been the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology and the Vice Chancellor of Germany...
. Since this switch, FDP received 2.4% of the vote in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and 1.8% in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, failing to receive the 5% required to get into the Bürgerschaft.
Policies
The FDP adheres to a classical liberalClassical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
ideology, advocating liberalism in both the economic sphere
Economic policy
Economic policy refers to the actions that governments take in the economic field. It covers the systems for setting interest rates and government budget as well as the labor market, national ownership, and many other areas of government interventions into the economy.Such policies are often...
and social sphere
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
. The current guidelines of the FDP are enshrined in the principles of Wiesbaden. A key objective of the FDP is the "strengthening of freedom and individual responsibility".
Economic policy
The FDP espouses the most economic liberalEconomic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
ideas of the parties represented in the German federal parliament. The main goal is the creation of jobs by creating incentives for private investments. This shall be achieved, among other measures, through reduced bureaucracy, privatisation
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
, deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
, through removal of subsidies
Subsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
, and reform of collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
. The national debt shall be reduced. The party supports globalisation
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
.
In the tax policy a simple tax code is called for. The party supports a bracket income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
system, as opposed to the current 'linear' system, and, in the long-term a flat tax
Flat tax
A flat tax is a tax system with a constant marginal tax rate. Typically the term flat tax is applied in the context of an individual or corporate income that will be taxed at one marginal rate...
. Through tax cuts, the purchasing power of employees will be increased and the economy will be stimulated.
In energy policy, the FDP calls for a combination of nuclear, coal, oil and gas and renewable energy for electricity production. The phasing out of nuclear power
Nuclear power in Germany
Nuclear power in Germany accounted for 23% of national electricity consumption, before the permanent shutdown of 8 plants in March 2011. German nuclear power began with research reactors in the 1950s and 1960s with the first commercial plant coming online in 1969...
is seen critically by the FDP.
Social policy
The FDP aims for the introduction of a citizen's dividendCitizen's dividend
Citizen's dividend or citizen's income is a proposed state policy based upon the principle that the natural world is the common property of all persons . It is proposed that all citizens receive regular payments from revenue raised by the state through leasing or selling natural resources for...
(Bürgergeld), which collects all the tax-financed social welfare and social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
funds of the state. The social security funds should be supplemented through privately-funded schemes.
The common view in the party is a critical attitude towards the state and to conservative and egalitarian
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
social policies. Under the slogan "As much government as necessary, as little government as possible," the FDP tries to limit the state involvement in the life of the individual as far as possible. The unifying stance for them is the idea of "creating and maintaining the freedom of individuals". Thus the party supported nearly all social liberalizations that have been implemented in the federal republic.
Throughout its history, the FDP's policies have shifted between emphasis on social liberalism
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
and economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
. Since the 1980s, the FDP has maintained a consistent pro-business stance. The FDP supports strong competition law
Competition law
Competition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
s and a minimum standard of welfare protection for every citizen. In addition, the FDP endorses to complement the social welfare and health care system
Health care system
A health care system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of target populations....
s with laws that would require every employed citizen to invest in a private social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
account.
Today, the FDP supports some gay rights; former party leader Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
is openly gay. In 2001 however, before his come out, Westerwelle himself spoke out against gay rights provided by the Lebenspartnerschaftsgesetz as being harmful for marriage and family. The gay Green Party politician Volker Beck
Volker Beck
Volker Beck is a German politician. He is a sitting member of parliament for the Green Party in the Bundestag. Beck served as the Green Party Speaker for Legal Affairs from 1994–2002, and as the Green Party whip in the Bundestag since then...
also accused him of using his homosexuality as a defense for political mistakes.
Domestic policy
The FDP traditionally declines laws which it considers restrictions of fundamental rights. The party is opposed to wiretapping, although the FDP originally supported 'Großer Lauschangriff'. It also rejects data retentionTelecommunications data retention
In the field of telecommunications, data retention generally refers to the storage of call detail records of telephony and internet traffic and transaction data by governments and commercial organisations...
in the phone and internet. The FDP is opposed to a tightening of the penal code, and instead supports for the recruitment of more police officers, judges, and prosecutors to improve security and speed up trials. In addition, improved rehabilitation is called for, especially for young offenders.
One objective of the FDP is the promotion of pre-school education. There shall be mandatory language tests at the age of four to detect linguistic weaknesses of children with immigrant backgrounds and train them in time for school. Half-day childcare shall be free, in accordance with the legal right to a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
place, from the third year of life and school enrolment. Language teaching shall constitute an integral part of the curriculum from grade one onwards.
The FDP calls for the establishment of full-day schools and the high school diploma after twelve years of schooling. In addition, the Liberals are opposed to all-day schools, because they believe that those schools are not performance-oriented enough and individual student support is not sufficiently guaranteed. The FDP supports tuition fees to fund the universities. It also calls for the abolition of laws and regulations to improve research conditions. The FDP opposed the 1996 spelling reform; as a result, their election manifestos are written in the previously conventional spelling.
Foreign policy
The FDP describes itself as the pro-EuropeanEuropeanism
Although this term is occasionally used to describe support for European integration , it is more commonly used in relation to the idea that Europeans have common norms and values that transcend national or state identity, that have been promoted most actively...
party, although the minority national liberal
National liberalism
National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining nationalism with some liberal policies, especially regarding economic liberalism. The roots of it are to be found in the 19th century, when conservative liberalism was the ideology of the political classes in most European countries, then...
faction is soft eurosceptic. The FDP wants a politically-integrated EU with a Common Foreign and Security Policy
Common Foreign and Security Policy
The Common Foreign and Security Policy is the organised, agreed foreign policy of the European Union for mainly security and defence diplomacy and actions. CFSP deals only with a specific part of the EU's external relations, which domains include mainly Trade and Commercial Policy and other areas...
, but supported a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon
Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
. The FDP advocates the accession of Turkey
Accession of Turkey to the European Union
Turkey's application to accede to the European Union was made on 14 April 1987. Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union and its predecessors since 1963...
to the EU, although this would require Turkey to fulfil all criteria.
Federal election results
Below are charts of the results that the Free Democratic Party has secured in each election to the federal BundestagBundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
. Timelines showing the number of seats and percentage of party list votes won are on the right.
| Year | Vote % | Seats | PlaceCounts Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... and Christian Social Union Christian Social Union of Bavaria The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany... together for purposes of comparison. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 11.9 | 52 | 3rd |
| 1953 | 9.5 | 48 | 3rd |
| 1957 | 7.7 | 41 | 3rd |
| 1961 | 12.8 | 67 | 3rd |
| 1965 | 9.5 | 49 | 3rd |
| 1969 | 5.8 | 30 | 3rd |
| 1972 | 8.4 | 41 | 3rd |
| 1976 | 7.9 | 39 | 3rd |
| 1980 | 10.6 | 53 | 3rd |
| 1983 | 6.9 | 34 | 3rd |
| 1987 | 9.1 | 46 | 3rd |
| 1990 German federal election, 1990 The 12th German federal election, 1990 was conducted on December 2, 1990, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany... |
11.0 | 79 | 3rd |
| 1994 German federal election, 1994 The 13th German federal election, 1994 was conducted on October 16, 1994, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany.-Issues and Campaign:The SPD let its members elect a candidate for Chancellor against Helmut Kohl... |
6.9 | 47 | 4th |
| 1998 German federal election, 1998 A German federal election was conducted on September 27, 1998, to elect members to the 14th Bundestag, the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany.- Issues and campaign :... |
6.2 | 43 | 4th |
| 2002 German federal election, 2002 The 15th German federal election, 2002 was conducted on 22 September 2002, to elect members to the Bundestag of Germany.-Issues and campaign:... |
7.4 | 47 | 4th |
| 2005 German federal election, 2005 German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July... |
9.8 | 61 | 3rd |
| 2009 | 14.6 | 93 | 3rd |
Leadership
Party chairmen
| Leader | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss was a liberal German politician who served as the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II from 1949 to 1959... |
1948 | 1949 |
| 2 | Franz Blücher Franz Blücher Franz Blücher was a German politician and member of the German Parliament .Blücher was born in Essen, Rhine Province, German Empire.... |
1949 | 7 March 1954 |
| 3 | Thomas Dehler Thomas Dehler Thomas Dehler was a German politician. He was the Federal Republic of Germany's first Minister of Justice and chairman of Free Democratic Party .-Early life:... |
7 March 1954 | 24 January 1957 |
| 4 | Reinhold Maier Reinhold Maier Reinhold Maier was a German politician and the leader of the FDP from 1957–1960.Maier was born in Schorndorf. In the Weimar Republic Maier was a member of the German Democratic Party... |
24 January 1957 | 29 January 1960 |
| 5 | Erich Mende Erich Mende Dr. Erich Mende was a German politician of the FDP and CDU. He was the leader of FDP 1960 - 1968.-Early life:Mende was born in Gross-Strehlitz, Upper Silesia,... |
29 January 1960 | 29 January 1968 |
| 6 | Walter Scheel Walter Scheel Walter Scheel is a German politician . He served as Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development from 1961 to 1966, Foreign Minister of Germany and Vice Chancellor from 1969 to 1974, acting Chancellor of Germany from 7 May to 16 May 1974 , and finally as President of the Federal... |
29 January 1968 | 1 October 1974 |
| 7 | Hans-Dietrich Genscher Hans-Dietrich Genscher Hans-Dietrich Genscher is a German politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party . He served as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany from 1974 to 1982 and, after a two-week pause, from 1982 to 1992, making him Germany's longest serving Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor... |
1 October 1974 | 23 February 1985 |
| 8 | Martin Bangemann Martin Bangemann Martin Bangemann is a German politician and a former leader of the FDP . He studied Law in Tübingen and Munich, earned a Dr. jur. in 1962, and qualified as an attorney in 1964... |
23 February 1985 | 9 October 1988 |
| 9 | Otto Graf Lambsdorff Otto Graf Lambsdorff Otto Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von der Wenge Graf Lambsdorff, known as Otto Graf Lambsdorff, was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party.- Biography :... |
9 October 1988 | 11 June 1993 |
| 10 | Klaus Kinkel Klaus Kinkel Klaus Kinkel is a German civil servant, lawyer, and politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party . He served as Federal Minister of Justice , Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany in the government of Helmut Kohl. He was also chairman of the liberal Free Democratic Party from 1993... |
11 June 1993 | 10 June 1995 |
| 11 | Wolfgang Gerhardt Wolfgang Gerhardt Wolfgang Gerhardt is a German politician and was the leader of the FDP from 1995 until he was succeeded by Guido Westerwelle in 2001. He is married and has two children.-References:... |
10 June 1995 | 4 May 2001 |
| 12 | Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions... |
4 May 2001 | 13 May 2011 |
| 13 | Philipp Rösler Philipp Rösler Philipp Rösler is a German politician, who, since 2011, has been the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology and the Vice Chancellor of Germany... |
13 May 2011 | Incumbent |
Leaders in the Bundestag
| Leader | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss was a liberal German politician who served as the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II from 1949 to 1959... |
1949 | 12 September 1949 |
| 2 | Hermann Schäfer | 12 September 1949 | 10 January 1951 |
| 3 | August-Martin Euler | 10 January 1951 | 6 May 1952 |
| 4 | Hermann Schäfer | 6 May 1952 | 20 October 1953 |
| 5 | Thomas Dehler Thomas Dehler Thomas Dehler was a German politician. He was the Federal Republic of Germany's first Minister of Justice and chairman of Free Democratic Party .-Early life:... |
20 October 1953 | 8 January 1957 |
| 6 | Max Becker | 8 January 1957 | November 1957 |
| 7 | Erich Mende Erich Mende Dr. Erich Mende was a German politician of the FDP and CDU. He was the leader of FDP 1960 - 1968.-Early life:Mende was born in Gross-Strehlitz, Upper Silesia,... |
November 1957 | 22 October 1963 |
| 8 | Knut von Kühlmann-Stumm | 22 October 1963 | 23 January 1968 |
| 9 | Wolfgang Mischnick | 23 January 1968 | 15 January 1991 |
| 10 | Hermann Otto Solms Hermann Otto Solms Hermann Otto Solms is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party .... |
15 January 1991 | 26 October 1998 |
| 11 | Wolfgang Gerhardt Wolfgang Gerhardt Wolfgang Gerhardt is a German politician and was the leader of the FDP from 1995 until he was succeeded by Guido Westerwelle in 2001. He is married and has two children.-References:... |
5 October 1998 | 30 April 2006 |
| 12 | Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions... |
30 April 2006 | 25 October 2009 |
| 13 | Birgit Homburger | 25 October 2009 | 10 May 2011 |
| 14 | Rainer Brüderle Rainer Brüderle Rainer Brüderle is a German politician and member of the FDP. He served as Minister of Economics and Transport of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1987–1998. On 28 October 2009, he was appointed Federal Minister for Economics and Technology in the Cabinet Merkel II. On 12 May 2011, Brüderle left Federal... |
10 May 2011 | Incumbent |
See also
- Liberalism in GermanyLiberalism in GermanyThis 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...
- Friedrich Naumann FoundationFriedrich Naumann FoundationThe Friedrich Naumann Foundation is a German foundation for liberal politics, related to the Free Democratic Party. Established in 1958 by Theodor Heuss, the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, it promotes individual freedom and liberalism.The Foundation follows the ideals of the...
- Liberal Students Association