The Free Democratic Party (FDP - Freie Demokratische Partei) is a free market liberal party in Germany. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.

The FDP has traditionally been composed mainly of middle- and upper-class Protestants, who consider themselves "independents" and heirs to the European liberal tradition. Although the party is relatively weak, yielding between 5 and 10 % of the votes in elections, it has participated in all but three postwar federal governments in coalitions with the CDU (conservatives) and SPD (social-democratic) and has spent only eight years out of government since 1949.

The party was involved into quite some controversy after declaring itself to be the "party of the well-to-do people". A lot of people thought this meant the party was opposed to the interests of poorer people. Still, the party tends to do especially well in areas where people are more well off. Since 1982, the Party has moved increasingly to the right. In all federal election campaigns since that time, the Party sided with the CDU and CSU, the main conservative parties in Germany.The traditionally 'liberal' section of the FDP (containing politicians like Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger and Burkhard Hirsch) was increasingly marginalised. Some prominent members of that wing, like Dr Hildegard Hamm-Brücher, left the Party altogether, sparking debate whether the denomination of the FDP as "liberal" is, as in the case of its Japanese counterpart, a misnomer.

The party took 6.2% of the vote and returned 43 deputies to the Bundestag in 1998. In 2001, Guido Westerwelle replaced Wolfgang Gerhardt as party chairman. In the 2002 election, they took 7.4% of the vote.

Chairmen of the Free Democratic Party, 1948-present

• Theodor Heuss 1948-1949
• Franz Blücher 1949-1954
• Thomas Dehler 1954-1957
• Reinhold Maier 1957-1960
• Erich Mende 1960-1968
• Walter Scheel 1968-1974
• Hans-Dietrich Genscher 1974-1985
• Martin Bangemann 1985-1988
• Otto Graf Lambsdorff 1988-1993
• Klaus Kinkel 1993-1995
• Wolfgang Gerhardt 1995-2001
• Guido Westerwelle 2001-

See also

• Liberalism
• Contributions to liberal theory
• Liberalism worldwide
• List of liberal parties
• Liberal democracy
• Liberalism in Germany
• Jürgen Möllemann
• Friedrich Naumann Foundation
• Junge Liberale (Young Liberals)

External link

• Official web site