nl, Liberale Partij , logo = , leader1_title = Historical presidents , leader1_name = Albert Mechelynck (first)
Omer Vanaudenhove (last) , foundation = 1846 , dissolved = 1961 , predecessor = , successor = Party for Freedom and Progress , headquarters =

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, wing1_title = Trade Union's wing , wing1 =

General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium The General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (ACLVB or CGSLB) is the smallest of Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country i ...

, ideology =

Liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

Classical liberalism
Anti-clericalism , position = Centre-left to left-wing , international =

Liberal International Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism aroun ...

, colours =

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

, country = Belgium The Liberal Party ( nl, Liberale Partij, french: Parti libéral) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

political party that existed from 1846 until 1961, when it became the Party for Freedom and Progress, ''Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang/Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès'' or PVV-PLP, under the leadership of Omer Vanaudenhove.

History

The Liberal Party was founded in 1846 and as such was the first political party of

. Walthère Frère-Orban wrote the first charter for the new party. The Liberal Party had a clear victory in the 1848 elections, following lower tax requirements that benefited urban populations, where liberals were stronger. The Liberal Party remained in dominant position for the most part of the period from 1848 until

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's '' Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price at ...

, where it lost to Catholics due to the

First School War The First School War (french: Première guerre scolaire, nl, Eerste schoolstrijd) was a political crisis in Belgium over the issue of religion in education. The School War marks the high water mark of the conflict between the conservative Cathol ...

. The Liberal Party suffered even more losses in the next elections, most notable in the 1894 elections, the first ones with universal suffrage. However, they made a comeback in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

upon the introduction of proportional representation. From 1887 until 1900, the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

(French: ''Parti Progressiste'', Dutch: ''Progressieve Partij'') existed as a separate progressive Liberal party.

Presidents

* 1920 - 1921 : Albert Mechelynck * 1924 - 1926 : Edouard Pécher * 1927 - 1933 :

Albert Devèze Albert Joseph Charles Devèze (; 6 June 1881 – 28 November 1959) was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Devèze was a doctor in law and a lawyer. He was a liberal municipality Council member in Schaerbeek and in Ixelles and a member of ...

* 1933 - 1934 : Octave Dierckx * 1935 - 1936 : Léon Dens * 1936 - 1937 : Victor de Laveleye * 1937 - 1940 : Emile Coulonvaux * 1940 - 1945 :

Jane Brigode Jane Brigode (born Jane Ouwerx; 30 May 1870 – 3 May 1952) was a Belgian liberal and politician. From 1940 until 1945 she was co-president of the Liberal Party. In 1921, she and Marthe Boël founded the ''Union des femmes libérales de l’arro ...

and Fernand Demets (co-presidency) * 1945 - 1953 : Roger Motz * 1953 - 1954 : Henri Liebaert * 1954 - 1958 : Maurice Destenay * 1958 - 1961 : Roger Motz * 1961 : Omer Vanaudenhove

Notable members

Liberale verkiezingsaffiche, 1958 - Campaign poster, Belgian Liberal Party, National elections 1958 (30533323910)

Jules Bara Jules Bara (23 August 1835 – 26 June 1900) was a Belgian statesman and liberal politician. Early years He was born in Tournai and pursued the study of law in his native town, showing remarkable intellectual gifts and a fine power of orato ...

* Gustave Boël (1837-1912), industrialist * François Bailleux first party secretary * Charles Buls, mayor of Brussels (1881-1899) * Jacques Coghen, (1791-1858), second Minister of Finance of Belgium * Eugène Defacqz * François-Philippe de Haussy, (1789-1869), first governor of the National Bank of Belgium * Constant de Kerchove de Denterghem * Louis Franck (1868–1937), a leading Flemish liberal politician. * Walthère Frère-Orban, (1812–1896), wrote the first charter of the liberal party. * Charles Graux * Julius Hoste Jr. (1884–1954), businessman and leading Flemish liberal politician. * Paul Hymans, first President of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

* Paul Janson * Paul-Émile Janson *

Joseph Lebeau Jean Louis Joseph Lebeau (3 January 1794 – 19 March 1865) was a Belgian liberal statesman, the prime minister of Belgium on two occasions. Biography Born in Huy, he received his early education from an uncle who was parish priest in Hannut, a ...

* Albert Lilar *

Adolphe Max Adolphe Eugène Jean Henri Max (30 December 1869 – 6 November 1939) was a Belgian liberal politician and mayor of the City of Brussels from 1909 until his death. He was also an irregular freemason, an honorary Minister of State and a membe ...

, mayor of Brussels (1909-1939) * Eudore Pirmez * Eugène Prévinaire, (1805-1877), second governor of the National Bank of Belgium. * Jean Rey (1902-1983), President of the European Commission * Charles Rogier *

Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns Gustave Henri Ange Hippolyte Rolin-Jaequemyns (31 January 1835 – 9 January 1902) was a Belgian lawyer, diplomat and Minister of the Interior (1878–1884) as a member of the Unitarian Liberal Party. Together with the Swiss jurist Gustave Moyni ...

Ernest Solvay Ernest Gaston Joseph Solvay (; 16 April 1838 – 26 May 1922) was a Belgian chemist, industrialist and philanthropist. Born in Rebecq, he was prevented by his acute pleurisy from going to university. He worked in his uncle's chemical fac ...

(1838-1922), chemist, industrialist and philanthropist. *

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June u ...

* Henri Story (1897-1944) * Herman Teirlinck (1879–1967), a famous Belgian writer. * Pierre Van Humbeeck *

Jan Van Rijswijck Jan Van Rijswijck (14 February 1853 – 23 September 1906) was a Belgian lawyer, liberal politician and journalist. Education He started his education at the boarding school of Melle and continued his education at the Catholic University of Leu ...

* Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen, founder of the Université Libre de Bruxelles * Raoul Warocqué

References

Sources

Liberal Archive
* Th. Luykx, M. Platel, ''Politieke geschiedenis van België'', 2 vol., Kluwer, 1985 * E. Witte, J. Craeybeckx, A. Meynen, ''Politieke geschiedenis van België'', Standaard, 1997 Defunct political parties in Belgium Political parties established in 1846 1846 establishments in Belgium {{Liberal-stub

History

Presidents

Notable members

See also

References

Sources