Social–liberal coalition
Under a socialist-liberal coalition refers to a coalition of social democratic or socialist party with a liberal party.
In Germany this term is primarily associated with the social-liberal coalition at the federal level from 1969 to 1982. A similar variant presented from 1983 to 1987, the Red-Blue coalition in Austria - between the SPÖ and the then- liberal oriented FPÖ - dar.
Germany
Already in the German Empire in 1900 promoted left-liberal politicians such as Theodor Barth and Friedrich Naumann for a coalition " of Bassermann to Bebel " to promote the democratization of German politics. However, was realized such a liberal- socialist alliance for the time being only in the so-called large-block, the 1909 to 1913 / 14 national liberals, liberals and social democrats in the Grand Duchy of Baden formed. In imperial level worked Liberals and Social Democrats for the first time during the First World War in the Intergroup Committee together, the membership includes representatives of the Catholic Centre Party.
In the Weimar Republic temporarily existed the Weimar coalition, in which the republic loyal parties SPD, center and DDP were represented, but by 1920 at the imperial level had no parliamentary majority more. Therefore, there have been repeated large coalitions, yet included the addition, the DVP.
Only in the ( old ) Federal Republic, established the term social-liberal coalition. Because of the colors of the two parties, the SPD and the FDP, one also speaks of a red- yellow coalition.
Since the FDP preferably forms a coalition with the Christian Democrats, Social-Liberal coalitions are comparatively rare. The first at the country level, in North Rhine -Westphalia from 1956, was received by the Liberals as a self-defense reaction: Chancellor Konrad Adenauer wanted to introduce a majority system for the federal government, the FDP would have made meaningless. The FDP left the coalition at the federal level and provided with the social-liberal coalition in North Rhine -Westphalia that Adenauer in the Federal Council had no majority. After the parliamentary elections of 1958, the coalition already ended again by the election victory of the Union.
Then there was more socially liberal coalitions at the country level, but the second social-liberal coalition in North Rhine -Westphalia ( since 1966) said it is of particular importance. It was an experiment for such a coalition for the first time at the federal level. The presidential election in March 1969 was considered a test case at the federal level: SPD candidate Gustav Heinemann was awarded with the bulk of the FDP votes, a slim majority.
In October 1969, came a SPD - FDP coalition into existence at the federal level. SPD leader Willy Brandt acknowledged the FDP under Walter Scheel important ministerial posts, which had never received from the Union ( foreign and internal affairs, and later economics). In addition, at that time still hung a renewed attempt by the Union in the air to introduce a majority voting.
While the social-liberal coalition at the federal level, there was also slightly increased to such coalitions in the Länder. It was founded in 1974 by Chancellor Helmut Schmidt ( SPD) and Foreign Minister Hans -Dietrich Genscher (FDP) continued but ended in 1982 with the so-called Bonn turn. Since then, socially liberal coalitions at the country level are tended to become rarer. This also has to do with the rise of the Greens, the SPD as a coalition partner served often. The most recent social-liberal coalition ( Rhineland -Palatinate ) ended in 2006, after the SPD had won an absolute majority.
A coalition of SPD, FDP and the Greens are called traffic light coalition. Such there were in a certain sense in Brandenburg 1990-1994, with the Greens then participated mainly in the form of alliance 90. 1991 to 1995 Bremen was ruled by a traffic light coalition.
In the early early years of the Federal Republic of red - yellow-black coalitions had also been realized, namely in Bremen and Saarland 1951-1959 1955-1959.
Berlin
Bremen
Hamburg
Hesse
Lower Saxony
North Rhine -Westphalia
The first social-liberal coalition in NRW in 1956 formed after the broke the black-yellow coalition under Prime Minister Arnold. Arnold was voted out by no-confidence vote by Parliament and replaced by Fritz Steinhoff.
This collaboration lasted only until the state election in 1958, at which succeeded the opposition CDU, to achieve an absolute majority.
To re- education coalition between the SPD and FDP, there was half a year after the state election in 1966. In this election, the SPD was 49.5 percent of the votes and 99 of 200 abgegebeen parliament mandates. The existing since 1962 black-yellow coalition led their government to Franz Meyers initially continued. Just six months later broke the black-yellow coalition, so that Heinz Kühn was elected with the votes of the SPD and FDP as prime minister.
In retrospect, this coalition formation in the most populous state is attributed to a certain signal to the federal election in 1969, after which it came to the first social-liberal government.
The coalition in NRW continued until the state election in 1980, in which the FDP withdrew from the Diet and the SPD achieved an absolute majority.
After the state elections in 2000 negotiated Minister Wolfgang Clement not only with its former coalition partner Alliance 90/The Greens, but also with the FDP on a remake of the social-liberal coalition.
As a result, however, the SPD crucial for the continuation of the Red-Green.
Rhineland -Palatinate
Until 1991, the FDP had ruled in Rhineland -Palatinate with the CDU. In the state elections in 1991 Black-Yellow lost the absolute majority and the FDP formed a coalition with the SPD then. In the state elections in 1996 the CDU and FDP were again be a majority, but the FDP, the government work with the SPD continued. Five years later the then much practiced in Germany Red-Green Alliance received a majority, but the social-liberal coalition not ended their cooperation. Only after the state election in 2006 ended this, when the SPD won an absolute majority of seats in parliament and the FDP despite offer of an alliance SPD refused.