The Society of the Friends of Peasants ( da, Bondevennernes Selskab) was a liberal Danish political society founded on 5 May 1846 by members of the provincial consultative assemblies

Johan Christian Drewsen Johan Christian Drewsen (23 December 1777 – 25 August 1851) was a Danish paper manufacturer, agronomist and politician. He owned Strandmøllen north of Copenhagen. Early life and education Srewsen was born at Strandmøllen, the son of paper ma ...

and

Balthazar Christensen Balthazar Matthias Christensen (25 October 1802 – 21 April 1882) was a Danish jurist and politician representing the Society of the Friends of Peasants (). Christensen was born in Randers, Denmark, in 1802 to master drafter and Major General ...

, with the intent to promote the liberation of the peasantry and equality among the different classes of society.Skou, Kaare R. (2005). ''Dansk politik A-Å'' . Aschehoug, p. 124. . Among its most politically influential members were

Anton Frederik Tscherning Ant(h)on Frederik Tscherning (12 December 1795 – 29 June 1874) was a Danish army officer who became a politician. During the First Schleswig War he served, briefly, as Denmarks's first Minister for War between March and November in 1848. Tsch ...

, Jens Andersen Hansen and Carl Christian Alberti. The society gained significant influence in the elections for the constitutional assembly in 1848, as the peasants were the only reasonably organized section of the population. Because of this, the society may be described as the first political party in Denmark. In alliance with the National Liberals they introduced general

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...

for all men—as opposed to the previous conscription for peasants only—and a bicameral system consisting of the

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature ( parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

and the Landsting that enfranchised all landowning men above the age of 30 in the Constitution of 1849. were the strongest advocates of giving

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

to all landowning men, and they would have preferred a

unicameral system Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for mult ...

.Engelstoft, Povl (1949). "Den grundlovgivende rigsforsamling" in Fabricius, Knud; Frisch, Hartvig; Hjelholt, Holger; Mackeprang, M.; Møller, Andr. (eds.) ''Den danske rigsdag 1849-1949 - bind I: Rigsdagens historie 1849-1866''. Copenhagen: J. H. Schultz forlag, pp. 25-32. However, the conservatives and in part the National Liberals insisted on a

bicameral system Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

with suffrage to the Landsting restricted by income and with some of the members appointed by the king. It is to a large degree thanks to that the 1849 constitution became as democratic as was the case. In 1848, the society was represented in the first Danish government by

War Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...

Tscherning after the

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

, the Cabinet of Moltke I, a coalition government that spanned the political spectrum. The number of members peaked in the middle of the 1850s at approximately 10,000,Thorsen, Svend (1950). "Partisystemets gradvise udvikling" in Fabricius, Knud; Frisch, Hartvig; Hjelholt, Holger; Mackeprang, M.; Møller, Andr. (eds.) ''Den danske rigsdag 1849-1949 - bind III: Rigsdagen og folket''. Copenhagen: J. H. Schultz forlag, p. 199. but due to internal conflicts and splits the influence of the society gradually dropped. The society was represented in government for the second and last time in the Cabinet of Rotwitt from 1859 to 1860. Although never formally dissolved, the society became part of the liberal party Det Forenede Venstre in 1872.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Society of the Friends of Peasants Defunct political parties in Denmark Liberal parties in Denmark Political parties established in 1846 1846 establishments in Denmark Political parties with year of disestablishment missing Political parties disestablished in 1872 1872 disestablishments in Denmark Defunct liberal political parties Nordic agrarian parties