Liberalism and radicalism in Denmark
Encyclopedia
This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Denmark
. It is limited to liberal
and radical
egalitarian
parties
with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it isn't necessary so that parties labeled themselves as a liberal party.
(Det Radikale Venstre, member LI
, ELDR), and a conservative liberal party, Liberal Party (Venstre Danmarks liberale parti, member LI
, ELDR). The origin of the word Venstre in both party names is to be found in the fact that the major Conservative party in the 19th century was called Right, and Venstre (Left) was formed as an opposition party. Thus it refers to an old left/right division of the political scale, in modern terms Venstre is usually considered a right wing party and Det Radikale Venstre as a centre party.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It is limited to liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
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...
parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it isn't necessary so that parties labeled themselves as a liberal party.
Background
Liberalism became a dominant force in 1840, but developed into a conservative direction. After 1870 a second liberal current, based on farmers, arose. This current got finally divided in a social liberal party, Danish Social Liberal PartyDet Radikale Venstre
The Danish Social Liberal Party is a social liberal political party in Denmark. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-Origin:...
(Det Radikale Venstre, member LI
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...
, ELDR), and a conservative liberal party, Liberal Party (Venstre Danmarks liberale parti, member LI
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...
, ELDR). The origin of the word Venstre in both party names is to be found in the fact that the major Conservative party in the 19th century was called Right, and Venstre (Left) was formed as an opposition party. Thus it refers to an old left/right division of the political scale, in modern terms Venstre is usually considered a right wing party and Det Radikale Venstre as a centre party.
National Liberal Party
- 1840: The National Liberal PartyNational Liberal Party (Denmark)The National Liberal Party , was a Danish political party or political movement from the 1830s until about 1880.Often considered "the first Danish political party" the National Liberals were gradually founded as the opposition against the Danish absolute monarchy...
(Nationalliberale Parti)) is formed - 1884: The National Liberal Party merged into the conservative RightRightRights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
(Høyre)
From The United Left to Liberal Party (Venstre)
- 1870: Liberal farmers formed the liberal party The United Left (Det Forenede Venstre)
- 1892: The United Left fell apart in the Left Reform Party (Venstrereformpartiet) and the ⇒ Moderate Left
- 1905: A radical faction of the party seceded as present-day ⇒ Danish Social Liberal Party
- 1910: The VRP and the ⇒ Moderate Left merged into Liberal Party (Venstre, now usually not translated into English)
- 1934: A right-wing faction seceded as the conservative Free People's PartyFarmers' Party (Denmark)The Farmers' Party , initially known as the Free People's Party , was a political party in Denmark. In was founded in 1923 as the political wing of Landbrugernes Sammenslutning. At the time of the founding of the party, 3 Venstre MPs joined it.In 1939 the name was changed to Farmers' Party...
(Det Frie Folkeparti) - 1965: A left-wing faction formed the ⇒ Liberal Center
Moderate Left
- 1892: A right wing faction of the ⇒ United Left formed the Moderate Left (Det Moderate Venstre)
- 1910: The Moderate Left merged into the new ⇒ Liberal Party
Danish Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre)
- 1905: A radical faction of the ⇒ Left Reform Party seceded as the present-day Danish Social Liberal PartyDet Radikale VenstreThe Danish Social Liberal Party is a social liberal political party in Denmark. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-Origin:...
(Det Radikale Venstre, literally Radical Left) - 2007: An MP and an MEP defected from the party in May 2007 and formed the Social Liberal/Social Conservative Ny Alliance.
- 2008: Ny Alliance changed to a more economically liberal platform. With this change the party changed its name to Liberal AllianceLiberal AllianceLiberal Alliance may stand for:*Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, a political grouping in the European Parliament*Liberal Alliance of Montenegro, a political party active in Montenegro...
. - 2009: Former Social Liberal Party MP Simon Emil Ammitzbøl founded Borgerligt CentrumBorgerligt CentrumBorgerligt Centrum is a Danish political party founded on 6 January, 2009, by MP Simon Emil Ammitzbøll, a former member of the Social Liberal Party...
, a centre-right party. A few months later, Ammitzbøl and leading members of Borgerligt Centrum left the party to join Liberal Alliance.
Liberal Center
- 1965: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Left formed the Liberal Center (Liberalt Centrum)
- 1968: LC disappeared
Liberal leaders
- Danish Social Liberal Party: Carl Theodor ZahleCarl Theodor ZahleCarl Theodor Zahle , Danish lawyer and politician; prime minister of Denmark 1909-1910, 1913-1920. In 1895 he was elected member of the lower chamber of the Danish parliament, Folketinget, for Venstrereformpartiet...
- Hilmar BaunsgaardHilmar BaunsgaardHilmar Baunsgaard was a Danish politician. He was a member of Det Radikale Venstre, a social liberal party. He was the Prime Minister of Denmark from 15 February 1968, ending 15 years of government by the Social Democrats, until 9 October 1971, when the Social Democrats regained power...
- Niels Helveg PetersenNiels Helveg PetersenNiels Lolk Helveg Petersen is a Danish politician, member of parliament for the Danish Social Liberal Party 1966-1974, 1977-1993 and again from 1994. Graduated in Law....
- Marianne JelvedMarianne JelvedMarianne Bruus Jelved née Hirsbro is a Danish politician, and is educated as a teacher and in the theory of education...
- Margrethe VestagerMargrethe VestagerMargrethe Vestager is a Danish politician representing Det Radikale Venstre. She has been a Member of Parliament since 20 November 2001. On 15 June 2007 she was appointed parliamentary group leader of her party, replacing Marianne Jelved.... - Liberal Party: Poul HartlingPoul HartlingPoul Hartling was a Danish diplomat and politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1973 to 1975....
- Uffe Ellemann-JensenUffe Ellemann-JensenUffe Ellemann-Jensen was Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark in the Conservative led Poul Schlüter Administration 1982–1993. He was leader of the Danish Liberal Party, Venstre 1984–1998 and President of the European Liberals 1995–2000...
- Anders Fogh RasmussenAnders Fogh RasmussenAnders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
- Lars Løkke RasmussenLars Løkke RasmussenLars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right liberal party, Venstre....
List of liberal organizations
- VenstreVenstre (Denmark)VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
The Danish Liberal party. - Det Radikale VenstreDet Radikale VenstreThe Danish Social Liberal Party is a social liberal political party in Denmark. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-Origin:...
The Danish Social Liberal party. - Venstres UngdomVenstres UngdomVenstres Ungdom is the youth wing of the Danish Liberal Party Venstre. The ideology of Venstre is centre-right...
Youth wing of Venstre - Radikal UngdomRadikal UngdomRadikal Ungdom af 1994 , is the official youth organization of the Danish political party Det Radikale Venstre. The organization was founded on 30 April 1994 after the former youth organization Radikal Ungdom was dissolved because of a case of fraud with funding from the Danish Youth Council...
Youth wing Det Radikale Venstre - Liberal Students of DenmarkLiberal Students of DenmarkThe Liberal Students of Denmark is a political student organization, with chapters in the major Danish university cities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg. It was founded November 14, 1910, making it one of Denmark's oldest student organizations...
DLS - Danmarks Liberale Studerende - CEPOSCEPOSThe Danish Centre for Political Studies, also known as CEPOS, is an independent research institution recognized under the Danish state, which works as a classical liberal/free-market conservative think-tank in Denmark.-History:...
An independent classical-liberal/free-market conservative think tankThink tankA think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax... - The Copenhagen InstituteCopenhagen InstituteThe Copenhagen Institute is a Danish Free Market think tank. It was founded in 2003 hosting a conference on tax competition. It has a clear libertarian leaning.The Copenhagen Institute was originally called MarkedsCentret, but changed its name in 2005....
A libertarian/free-market oriented think Tank. - Support Initiative for Liberty and Democracy in the Baltic AreaSupport Initiative for Liberty and Democracy in the Baltic AreaThe Support Initiative for Liberty and Democracy or in short form Silba is a Danish cross political organization founded in 1994 by a group of Danish politicians with Bertel Haarder as prime initiator...
- LiberalisterneLiberalisterneLiberalisterne – Frihed og Velstand was a Danish political party based on classic liberalist ideology. Among its main goals were the introduction of a flat tax, opposition to recent anti-terror laws, and a general cut in public spending. The party was founded in 2005, and Torben Mark Pedersen...
The Liberals
See also
- History of DenmarkHistory of DenmarkThe history of Denmark dates back about 12,000 years, to the end of the last ice age, with the earliest evidence of human inhabitation. The Danes were first documented in written sources around 500 AD, including in the writings of Jordanes and Procopius. With the Christianization of the Danes c...
- Politics of DenmarkPolitics of DenmarkThe Politics of Denmark takes place in a framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy, in which the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system...
- List of political parties in Denmark
- Cultural radicalismCultural radicalismCultural Radicalism was a movement in Danish culture. It was particular strong in the Interwar Period, but its philosophy has its origin in the 1870s and a great deal of modern social commentary still refer to it....