Editing Free Democratic Party (Germany) (section)

=== Predecessors ===
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The history of [[liberalism in Germany|liberal parties in Germany]] dates back to 1861, when the [[German Progress Party]] (DFP) was founded, being the first political party in the modern sense in Germany. From the establishment of the [[National Liberal Party (Germany)|National Liberal Party]] in 1867 until the demise of the [[Weimar Republic]] in 1933, the liberal-democratic camp was divided into a [[National liberalism|national-liberal]] and a [[left-liberal]] line of tradition. After 1918, the national-liberal strain was represented by the [[German People's Party]] (DVP), the left-liberal one by the [[German Democratic Party]] (DDP, which merged into the [[German State Party]] in 1930). Both parties played an important role in government during the Weimar Republic era, but successively lost votes during the rise of the [[Nazi Party]] beginning in the late-1920s. After the [[Nazi seizure of power]], both liberal parties agreed to the [[Enabling Act of 1933]] and subsequently dissolved themselves. During the 12 years of Hitler's rule, some former liberals collaborated with the Nazis (e.g. economy minister [[Hjalmar Schacht]]), while others resisted actively against Nazism, with some Liberal leaning members and former members of the military joining up with [[Henning von Tresckow]] (e.g. the [[Solf Circle]]).

Soon after World War II, the Soviet Union pushed for the creation of licensed [[anti-fascist]] parties in [[Soviet occupation zone|its occupation zone]] in East Germany. In July 1945, former DDP politicians [[Wilhelm Külz]], [[Eugen Schiffer]], and [[Waldemar Koch]] called for the establishment of a pan-German liberal party. Their [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|Liberal-Democratic Party]] (LDP) was soon licensed by the [[Soviet Military Administration in Germany]], under the condition that the new party joined the pro-Soviet [[Democratic Bloc (East Germany)|Democratic Bloc]].

In September 1945, citizens in [[Hamburg]]—including the anti-Nazi resistance circle Association Free Hamburg—established the ''Party of Free Democrats'' (PFD) as a [[bourgeois]] left-wing party and the first liberal Party in the Western occupation zones. The German Democratic Party was revived in some states of the Western occupation zones (in the Southwestern states of [[Württemberg-Baden]] and [[Württemberg-Hohenzollern]] under the name of [[Democratic People's Party (Germany)|Democratic People's Party]]).

Many former members of DDP and DVP however agreed to finally overcome the traditional split of German liberalism into a national-liberal and a left-liberal branch, aiming for the creation of a united liberal party.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Alf |last=Mintzel |title=Besatzungspolitik und Entwicklung der bürgerlichen Parteien in den Westzonen (1945–1949) |editor-first=Dietrich |editor-last=Staritz |publisher=Leske + Budrich |year=1976 |page=79}}</ref> In October 1945 a liberal coalition party was founded in the state of [[Bremen]] under the name of Bremen Democratic People's Party. In January 1946, liberal state parties of the [[British occupation zone]] merged into the Free Democratic Party of the British Zone (FDP). A similar state party in [[Hesse]], called the Liberal Democratic Party, was licensed by the [[Office of Military Government, United States|U.S. military government]] in January 1946. In the state of Bavaria, a Free Democratic Party was founded in May 1946.

In the first post-war state elections in 1946, liberal parties performed well in Württemberg-Baden (16.8%), Bremen (18.3%), Hamburg (18.2%) and Greater Berlin (still undivided; 9.3%). The LDP was especially strong in the October 1946 state elections of the Soviet zone—the last free parliamentary election in East Germany—obtaining an average of 24.6% (highest in Saxony-Anhalt, 29.9%, and Thuringia, 28.5%), thwarting an absolute majority of the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] (SED) that was favoured by the Soviet occupation power. This disappointment to the Communists led to a change of electoral laws in the Soviet zone, cutting the autonomy of non-socialist parties including the LDP and forcing it to join the SED-dominated [[National Front (East Germany)|National Front]], making it a dependent [[bloc party]].

The [[Democratic Party of Germany]] (DPD) was established in [[Rothenburg ob der Tauber]] on 17 March 1947 as a pan-German party of liberals from all four occupation zones. Its leaders were [[Theodor Heuss]] (representing the DVP of Württemberg-Baden in the American zone) and [[Wilhelm Külz]] (representing the LDP of the Soviet zone). However, the project failed in January 1948 as a result of disputes over Külz's pro-Soviet direction.