This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Germany |
---|
The Federal Republic of Germany has a plural multi-party system. The largest by members and parliament seats are the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), with its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) and Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Germany also has a number of other parties, in recent history most importantly the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Alliance 90/The Greens, The Left, and more recently the Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded in 2013. The federal government of Germany often consisted of a coalition of a major and a minor party, specifically CDU/CSU and FDP or SPD and FDP, and from 1998 to 2005 SPD and Greens. From 1966 to 1969, from 2005 to 2009 and from 2013 to 2021, the federal government consisted of a coalition of the two major parties, called a grand coalition. [1]
Coalitions in the Bundestag and state legislatures are often described by party colors. Party colors are red for the Social Democratic Party, green for Alliance 90/The Greens, yellow for the Free Democratic Party, purple (officially red, which is customarily used for the SPD) for the Left, light blue for the AfD, and black and blue for the CDU and CSU respectively. [2] [3]
Name | Abbr. | Leader(s) | Ideology | Political position | MdLs | State | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brandenburg United Civic Movements/Free Voters Brandenburger Vereinigte Bürgerbewegungen / Freie Wähler |
BVB/FW | Péter Vida | Regionalism | 5 / 88
|
Brandenburg | |||
Citizens for Thuringia Bürger für Thüringen |
BfTh | Ute Bergner | Right-wing populism | Right-wing | 2 / 90
|
Thuringia |
Logo | Name | Abbr. | Leader(s) | Ideology | Active | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic People's Party Demokratische Volkspartei |
DVP | Theodor Heuss | Liberalism | 1946–1948 | Merged into FDP | ||
German Conservative Party Deutsche Konservative Partei |
DKP | Eldor Borck, Otto Schmidt-Hannover | National conservatism | 1946–1950 | Merged into DKP-DRP | ||
German Reconstruction Party Deutsche Aufbaupartei |
DAP |
Monarchism German nationalism |
1945–1946 | Merged into DKP-DRP | |||
Lower Saxony State Party Niedersächsische Landespartei |
Regionalism Christian conservatism Establishment of Lower Saxony |
1945–1947 | Merged into DP | ||||
National Democratic Party Nationaldemokratische Partei |
NDP | Heinrich Leuchtgens | National conservatism | 1945–1950 | Only active in Hesse, merged into DRP | ||
Radical Social Freedom Party Radikal-Soziale Freiheitspartei |
RSF | Richard Batz, Peter Thielen |
Freiwirtschaft Border abolition Decentralization |
1946–1950 | Succeeded by HUMANWIRTSCHAFT |
Bloc | Logo | Name | Abbr. | Ideology | Note | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Front |
Socialist Unity Party of Germany Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschland |
SED |
Stalinism Communism Marxism-Leninism |
"Leading Role" per 1968 Constitution, succeeded by PDS | |||
Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands |
CDUD |
Christian socialism Social conservatism |
Merged into the CDU | ||||
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands |
LDPD | Liberal socialism | Merged into Association of Free Democrats (partly) | ||||
Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands |
DBD |
Agrarianism Agrarian socialism |
Merged into CDUD | ||||
National Democratic Party of Germany National-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands |
NDPD |
Conservatism National conservatism Socialism |
Merged into FDP |
Name | Abbr. | Ideology | Active | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christian People's Party of Saarland Christliche Volkspartei des Saarlandes |
CVP |
Christian democracy Conservatism |
1946–1959 | Later merged with the CDU | |
Christian Social Union Christlich-Soziale Union |
CSU-S |
Christian democracy Conservatism |
1955–1959 | Unofficial counterpart of the CSU | |
Communist Party of Saarland Kommunistische Partei Saar |
KP |
Communism Marxism-Leninism |
1945–1957 | Counterpart of the KPD | |
Democratic Party of Saarland Demokratische Partei des Saarlandes |
DPS |
Conservative liberalism National conservatism |
1946–1957 | Later merged into the FDP | |
German Democratic Union Deutsche Demokratische Union |
DDU | Left-wing politics | 1955–1968 | Later merged with the DFU | |
German Social Democratic Party Deutsche Demokratische Union |
DSP | Social democracy | 1952–1956 | Split from the SPS, later merged with the SPD | |
Social Democratic Party of Saarland Sozialdemokratische Partei des Saarlandes |
SPS |
Social democracy Democratic Socialism |
1946–1956 | Counterpart of the SPD | |
Supranational European People's Party Saar Übernationale Europäische Volkspartei saar |
ÜEVPS | 1955–? |
This made a so-called Jamaica coalition with the Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party impossible.
Auf der eintägigen Veranstaltung, zu der die 450 Gründungsmitglieder geladen waren, soll zunächst der Parteivorstand gewählt werden.[At the one-day event, to which the 450 founding members were invited, the party executive committee is to be elected first.]
This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Germany |
---|
The Federal Republic of Germany has a plural multi-party system. The largest by members and parliament seats are the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), with its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) and Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Germany also has a number of other parties, in recent history most importantly the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Alliance 90/The Greens, The Left, and more recently the Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded in 2013. The federal government of Germany often consisted of a coalition of a major and a minor party, specifically CDU/CSU and FDP or SPD and FDP, and from 1998 to 2005 SPD and Greens. From 1966 to 1969, from 2005 to 2009 and from 2013 to 2021, the federal government consisted of a coalition of the two major parties, called a grand coalition. [1]
Coalitions in the Bundestag and state legislatures are often described by party colors. Party colors are red for the Social Democratic Party, green for Alliance 90/The Greens, yellow for the Free Democratic Party, purple (officially red, which is customarily used for the SPD) for the Left, light blue for the AfD, and black and blue for the CDU and CSU respectively. [2] [3]
Name | Abbr. | Leader(s) | Ideology | Political position | MdLs | State | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brandenburg United Civic Movements/Free Voters Brandenburger Vereinigte Bürgerbewegungen / Freie Wähler |
BVB/FW | Péter Vida | Regionalism | 5 / 88
|
Brandenburg | |||
Citizens for Thuringia Bürger für Thüringen |
BfTh | Ute Bergner | Right-wing populism | Right-wing | 2 / 90
|
Thuringia |
Logo | Name | Abbr. | Leader(s) | Ideology | Active | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic People's Party Demokratische Volkspartei |
DVP | Theodor Heuss | Liberalism | 1946–1948 | Merged into FDP | ||
German Conservative Party Deutsche Konservative Partei |
DKP | Eldor Borck, Otto Schmidt-Hannover | National conservatism | 1946–1950 | Merged into DKP-DRP | ||
German Reconstruction Party Deutsche Aufbaupartei |
DAP |
Monarchism German nationalism |
1945–1946 | Merged into DKP-DRP | |||
Lower Saxony State Party Niedersächsische Landespartei |
Regionalism Christian conservatism Establishment of Lower Saxony |
1945–1947 | Merged into DP | ||||
National Democratic Party Nationaldemokratische Partei |
NDP | Heinrich Leuchtgens | National conservatism | 1945–1950 | Only active in Hesse, merged into DRP | ||
Radical Social Freedom Party Radikal-Soziale Freiheitspartei |
RSF | Richard Batz, Peter Thielen |
Freiwirtschaft Border abolition Decentralization |
1946–1950 | Succeeded by HUMANWIRTSCHAFT |
Bloc | Logo | Name | Abbr. | Ideology | Note | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Front |
Socialist Unity Party of Germany Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschland |
SED |
Stalinism Communism Marxism-Leninism |
"Leading Role" per 1968 Constitution, succeeded by PDS | |||
Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands |
CDUD |
Christian socialism Social conservatism |
Merged into the CDU | ||||
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands |
LDPD | Liberal socialism | Merged into Association of Free Democrats (partly) | ||||
Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands |
DBD |
Agrarianism Agrarian socialism |
Merged into CDUD | ||||
National Democratic Party of Germany National-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands |
NDPD |
Conservatism National conservatism Socialism |
Merged into FDP |
Name | Abbr. | Ideology | Active | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christian People's Party of Saarland Christliche Volkspartei des Saarlandes |
CVP |
Christian democracy Conservatism |
1946–1959 | Later merged with the CDU | |
Christian Social Union Christlich-Soziale Union |
CSU-S |
Christian democracy Conservatism |
1955–1959 | Unofficial counterpart of the CSU | |
Communist Party of Saarland Kommunistische Partei Saar |
KP |
Communism Marxism-Leninism |
1945–1957 | Counterpart of the KPD | |
Democratic Party of Saarland Demokratische Partei des Saarlandes |
DPS |
Conservative liberalism National conservatism |
1946–1957 | Later merged into the FDP | |
German Democratic Union Deutsche Demokratische Union |
DDU | Left-wing politics | 1955–1968 | Later merged with the DFU | |
German Social Democratic Party Deutsche Demokratische Union |
DSP | Social democracy | 1952–1956 | Split from the SPS, later merged with the SPD | |
Social Democratic Party of Saarland Sozialdemokratische Partei des Saarlandes |
SPS |
Social democracy Democratic Socialism |
1946–1956 | Counterpart of the SPD | |
Supranational European People's Party Saar Übernationale Europäische Volkspartei saar |
ÜEVPS | 1955–? |
This made a so-called Jamaica coalition with the Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party impossible.
Auf der eintägigen Veranstaltung, zu der die 450 Gründungsmitglieder geladen waren, soll zunächst der Parteivorstand gewählt werden.[At the one-day event, to which the 450 founding members were invited, the party executive committee is to be elected first.]