This article aims to give a historical outline of liberalism in Germany. The

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature fo ...

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 ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme.

Background

The early high points of liberalism in Germany were the Hambacher Fest (1832) and the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. In the Frankfurt Parliament National Assembly in the Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt Paulskirche (1848/1849), the bourgeois liberal factions

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

and Württemberger Hof (the latter led by

Heinrich von Gagern Heinrich Wilhelm August Freiherr von Gagern (20 August 179922 May 1880) was a statesman who argued for the unification of Germany. Early career The third son of Hans Christoph Ernst, Baron von Gagern, a liberal statesman from Nassau, Heinrich v ...

) were the majority. They favored a constitutional monarchy,

popular sovereignty Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. Popular sovereignty, being a principle, does not imply any ...

, and

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

ary rule. Organized liberalism developed in the 1860s, combining the previous liberal and democratic currents. Between 1867 and 1933 liberalism was divided into progressive liberal and national liberal factions. Since 1945 only one liberal party has been significant in politics at the national level: The Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP).

History

Pre 1860s

From German Progress Party to German State Party

* 1861: Liberals united in the

German Progress Party The German Progress Party (german: Deutsche Fortschrittspartei, DFP) was the first modern political party in Germany, founded by liberal members of the Prussian House of Representatives () in 1861 in opposition to Minister President Otto von Bism ...

(''Deutsche Fortschrittspartei'') * 1867: The moderate faction seceded as the ⇒ National Liberal Party * 1868: A radical South German faction seceded as the ⇒ Democratic People's Party * 1884: The party merged with the ⇒ Liberal Union into the

German Freeminded Party The German Free-minded Party (german: Deutsche Freisinnige Partei, DFP) or German Radical Party was a short-lived liberal party in the German Empire, founded on 5 March 1884 as a result of the merger of the German Progress Party and the Liberal U ...

(''Deutsche Freisinnige Partei'') * 1893: The party split in the Freeminded People's Party (''Freisinnige Volkspartei'') and the ⇒ Freeminded Union (''Freisinnige Vereinigung'') * 1910: The FVP merged with the ⇒ Freeminded 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 The German Democratic Party (, or DDP) was a center-left liberal party in the Weimar Republic. Along with the German People's Party (, or DVP), it represented political liberalism in Germany between 1918 and 1933. It was formed in 1918 from the ...

(''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 The German State Party (german: Deutsche Staatspartei or DStP) was a short-lived German political party of the Weimar Republic, formed by the merger of the German Democratic Party (Deutsche Demokratische Partei, DDP) with the People's National Rei ...

(''Deutsche Staatspartei'') * 1933: The party is forced to dissolve itself

German People's Party (1868)

* 1868: A radical faction of the ⇒ German Progress Party formed the

German People's Party The German People's Party (German: , or DVP) was a liberal party during the Weimar Republic that was the successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire. A right-liberal, or conservative-liberal political party, it represented politi ...

(''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 Progress Party formed the National Liberal Party (''Nationalliberale Partei'') * 1871: A conservative faction of NLP formed the

Imperial Liberal Party The Imperial Liberal Party (german: Liberale Reichspartei) was a political party in Germany during the 1870s. History The party contested the first elections in the newly unified Germany in 1871, winning 30 seats.Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen ( ...

(''Liberale Reichspartei'') * 1880: A left-wing faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Union * 1918: The NLP is reorganised into the

(''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 Progress Party into the ⇒ German Freeminded Party

Freeminded Union

* 1893: The ⇒ German Freeminded Party split into the

Freeminded Union The Free-minded Union (german: Freisinnige Vereinigung; FVg) or Radical Union was a liberal party in the German Empire that existed from 1893 to 1910. Emergence Inside its predecessor, the German Free-minded Party, there had always been tension ...

(''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 The National-Social Association (german: Nationalsozialer Verein, NSV) was a political party in the German Empire, founded in 1896 by Friedrich Naumann. It sought to synthesise liberalism, nationalism and non- Marxist socialism with Protestant C ...

(''Nationalsozialer 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'') * 1918: The remnants of the Union joined the German Democratic 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 The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (german: Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands, LDPD) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied bloc parties of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in the National Front, it ...

(''Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands''). Since 1949 the party is under control of the communist dictatorship * 1990: The LDPD regained its liberal profile and shortened its name in February into Liberal Democratic Party (''Liberal-Demokratische Partei''). The same month it joined the newly founded

Free Democratic Party (GDR) The Free Democratic Party (GDR) (german: Freie Demokratische Partei, DDR) was an opposition political party in East Germany. The appeal for its formation was made on 25 November 1989 in Berlin by those East German liberals who doubted the ability ...

(''Freie Demokratische Partei (DDR)'') and the

German Forum Party The German Forum Party (german: Deutsche Forumpartei) was an opposition political party in East Germany. It was formed from the New Forum (''Neues Forum'') citizens' movement. It was founded in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz) on 27 January 1990. Its ...

(''Deutsche Forumpartei'') into

Association of Free Democrats The Association of Free Democrats (german: Bund Freier Demokraten) was a liberal coalition, later party, formed in East Germany on 12 February 1990. It originally consisted of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany, Liberal Democratic Party, the F ...

(''Bund Freier Demokraten''). In March the Association of Free Democrats absorbed the

National Democratic Party of Germany The National Democratic Party of Germany (german: Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands or NPD) is a far-right Neo-Nazi and ultranationalist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 1964 as successor to the German Reich Party ...

(''Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands''), and finally in August it 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 (Germany) The Free People's Party (''Freie Volkspartei'') was a short-lived political party in Germany. It was formed in 1956 by Franz Blücher, Fritz Neumayer Fritz Neumayer (29 July 1884 – 12 April 1973) was a German politician. He was Federal Ministe ...

(''Freie Volkspartei''). FDP is initially a hardright party well to the right of CDU * 1982: A left-wing faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Democrats * 1990: The FDP incorporated the ⇒ Association 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

New Liberals

* 2014: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Free Democratic Party formed the present-day New Liberals (''Neue Liberale''), contested in Hamburg state election 2015 * 2021: The party was dissolved, formed into an

association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

and members were urged to join Volt Deutschland

Liberal leaders

* Liberals before 1918:

Eduard Lasker Eduard Lasker (born Jizchak Lasker) (14 October 18295 January 1884) was a German politician and jurist. Inspired by the French Revolution, he became a spokesman for liberalism and the leader of the left wing of the National Liberal party, which ...

(1829–1884);

Rudolf von Bennigsen Karl Wilhelm Rudolf von Bennigsen (10 July 1824, Lüneburg – 7 August 1902, Bennigsen near Springe) was a German politician descended from an old Hanoverian family. Biography Bennigsen was born at Lüneburg on 10 July 1824. He was desce ...

–

Hans Victor von Unruh Hans Victor von Unruh (March 28, 1806 – February 4, 1886) was a Prussian civil servant and politician, President of the Prussian National Assembly of 1848 and Member of the ''Reichstag'' of the German Empire. Biography Unruh was born i ...

–

Eugen Richter Eugen Richter (30 July 183810 March 1906) was a German politician and journalist in Imperial Germany. He was one of the leading advocates of liberalism in the Prussian Landtag and the German Reichstag. Career Son of a combat medic, Richter attend ...

* Freisinn:

Theodor Barth Theodor Barth (16 July 1849, Duderstadt – 3 June 1909, Baden-Baden) was a German liberal politician and publicist. He was a member of the Reichstag between 1881 and 1884, between 1885 and 1898, and between 1901 and 1903. Career Barth start ...

–

Friedrich Naumann Friedrich Naumann (25 March 1860 – 24 August 1919) was a German Liberalism in Germany, liberal politician and Protestant parish pastor. In 1896, he founded the National-Social Association that sought to combine liberalism, nationalism and ...

–

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas profo ...

* Deutsche Demokratische Partei:

Walther Rathenau Walther Rathenau (29 September 1867 – 24 June 1922) was a German industrialist, writer and liberal politician. During the First World War of 1914–1918 he was involved in the organization of the German war economy. After the war, Rathenau s ...

–

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor Ko ...

* Deutsche Volkspartei:

Gustav Stresemann Gustav Ernst Stresemann (; 10 May 1878 – 3 October 1929) was a German statesman who served as chancellor in 1923 (for 102 days) and as foreign minister from 1923 to 1929, during the Weimar Republic. His most notable achievement was the reconci ...

* LDPD (East-Germany):

Waldemar Koch Waldemar Koch (25 September 1880 – 15 May 1963) was a German liberal politician and economist. He was born in Bad Harzburg, Duchy of Brunswick. Koch studied Economics, Philosophy and History at Berlin. He received a doctorate in 1907 for ...

Wilhelm Külz Wilhelm Külz (18 February 1875 – 10 April 1948) was a German liberal politician of the National Liberal Party, the German Democratic Party (DDP) and later the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD). He held public office both in the Germ ...

Manfred Gerlach Manfred Gerlach (8 May 1928 – 17 October 2011) was a German jurist and politician, and the longtime leader of the East German Liberal Democratic Party. He served as ''Chairman of the Council of State'' and was thus head of state of East ...

* Freie Demokratische Partei:

Ralf Dahrendorf Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf, Baron Dahrendorf, (1 May 1929 – 17 June 2009) was a German-British sociologist, philosopher, political scientist and liberal politician. A class conflict theorist, Dahrendorf was a leading expert on explaining and a ...

–

Karl-Hermann Flach Karl-Hermann Flach (October 17, 1929 – August 25, 1973) was a German journalist of the '' Frankfurter Rundschau'' and a politician of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). Flach was born in Königsberg. He became a member of the liberal LDP (in t ...

–

Hans-Dietrich Genscher Hans-Dietrich Genscher (21 March 1927 – 31 March 2016) was a German statesman and a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), who served as Federal Minister of the Interior from 1969 to 1974, and as Federal Minister for Foreign Affa ...

–

Otto Graf Lambsdorff Otto Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von der Wenge Graf Lambsdorff, known as Otto Graf Lambsdorff (20 December 1926 – 5 December 2009), was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Early life and education Lambsdorff was bo ...

–

Walter Scheel Walter Scheel (; 8 July 1919 – 24 August 2016) was a German statesman. A member of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP), he first served in government as the Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development from 1961 to 1966 and l ...

–

Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle (; 27 December 1961 – 18 March 2016) was a German politician who served as Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice-Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011, being the first openly gay person ...

–

Christian Lindner Christian Wolfgang Lindner (born 7 January 1979) is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) serving as the Federal Minister of Finance since 8 December 2021. He has been the party leader of the liberal FDP since 2013 and a Memb ...

Liberal thinkers

In the

Contributions to liberal theory Contribution or Contribute may refer to: * ''Contribution'' (album), by Mica Paris (1990) ** "Contribution" (song), title song from the album *Contribution (law), an agreement between defendants in a suit to apportion liability *Contributions, a ...

the following German thinkers are included: *

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

(1724–1804) *

August Ludwig von Schlözer August Ludwig von Schlözer (5 July 1735, in Gaggstatt – 9 September 1809, in Göttingen) was a German historian and pedagogist who laid foundations for the critical study of Russian medieval history. He was a member of the Göttingen School ...

(1735–1809) *

Wilhelm von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named after ...

(1767–1835) * Ludwig Joseph Brentano (1844–1931) *

(1860–1919) *

(1864–1920) *

(1867–1922) *

Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...

(1851–1930) *

Wilhelm Röpke Wilhelm Röpke (October 10, 1899 – February 12, 1966) was a German economist and social critic, best known as one of the spiritual fathers of the social market economy. A Professor of Economics, first in Jena, then in Graz, Marburg, Istan ...

(1899–1966) *

(1929–2009)