Social-Political Group
The Democratic Party ( DP) was a political party in Switzerland.
History
After the total revision of the Swiss Federal Constitution in 1874, the Democratic Movement had achieved its objectives at the federal level and broke up. The political alliance, the various groups such as workers, farmers, and craftswomen belonged, however, persisted. In some cantons Democratic parties were founded.
The Democrats were nationally oriented for direct democracy and the expansion of people's rights, state intervention, for state monopolies and social reforms and against the class struggle and kept the culture war obsolete.
Canton of Zurich
The Democratic Party in the canton of Zurich was established in the 1860s as a social and democratic practices movement that was directed against the liberal " Escher ". The party tradition considers the year 1867 as " Year of establishment " as a great "democratic" public meetings were held. In these meetings a fundamental (social and directly democratic ) Renewal of Canton was required ( the so-called École de Winterthour ). Result was finally the cantonal constitution of 1869. Yet up to the turn of the 20th century was the Democratic Party as a movement which advocated pronounced left-wing positions. In its stronghold Winterthur she represented even up to its merger with the FDP nor left-liberal positions. Your initial absolute majority in the canton cantonal government and the party lost during the crisis in 1880. This was due to, among others, the National Railway debacle (1878), the resurgence of the Liberal Party, and especially the increasing importance of the labor movement and the Social Democratic Party ( 1897). At the foundation of the Democratic Party of Switzerland in 1894 she became a part of this party, but retained a degree of independence. In 1941 she split again from the FDP. In the postwar period, it was meaningless.
Other cantons
More cantonal parties originated in the cantons of St. Gallen (1881 and 1888 ), Thurgau (1891 ), Glarus (1902 ) and Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( 1906). In other cantons, the Democrats of the Radical Party joined. 1905 founded the Eastern Swiss cantonal democratic parties, the Swiss Democratic Party. The Thurgau and St. Gallen section broke away after 1930 again. In the canton of Graubünden in the 1930s and 1940s played the Democratic Party, founded in 1919 Biinden an important role.
Democrats at the federal level
In the Federal Assembly 1935-1941 they formed together with the young farmers (but without the Zurich Democrats ), the Free and Democratic Group. She supported crisis initiative and policy movement, turned against fascism, against political Catholicism and fought for the independence of Switzerland and for the government of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland.
The young farmers developed politically to the right. In the Zurich Democrats increased criticism at the Liberal policy. This meant that the previous coalition collapsed and in 1941 a Swiss Democratic Party was founded, which was mainly in the cantons of Graubünden and Glarus and for a short time in the canton of Zurich important.
Resolution
In 1961 a federal popular initiative against foreign infiltration was launched. Thus it was hoped that new followers, but were absent. 1971, the Grisons and Glarus Democrats together with the farmers, commercial and civil party, the new SVP. The Zurich Democrats joined again to the FDP, with the exception of the sections Dübendorf, Effretikon, Winterthur and Dietikon, which continued to exist.
The section Winterthur separated at the beginning of the 1990s due to a clear social-liberal course of the section of the cantonal party and politicized until its dissolution in 2000 under the name of the other party on. The section Dübendorf changed on 5 May 2009 to the newly formed Conservative Democratic Party ( BDP). The Dietikon section as the only remaining section summed up on 12 April 2011 at its General Assembly 's decision, with new statutes and a new party program to try a new start as a Democratic party town Dietikon and was able to get a seat in the elections on February 9, 2013 City Council pick.