History
- 1809: The first liberal party is formed after a coup d'état ends 20 years of royal autocracy under the Union and Security Act; it is possibly the first party in the world to use the word "liberal" in its name.
- 1902: Free-minded National Association is formed as the first liberal party with a national grassroots organisation. It is heavily reliant on the "free religious" church movement.
- 1923: "Frisinnade Landsföreningen" splits over alcohol prohibition; the anti-ban minority forms Liberal Party of Sweden. "Frisinnade Landsföreningen" heads several governments during the following years.
- 1934: The parties reconcile and form "Folkpartiet" (The People's Party), i.e. the party in its present form.
- 1939–45: Partakes in a wartime coalition government comprising all parties except the communists. Sweden sticks to neutrality during the second world war.
- 1976: Enters a three-party government ending 44 years of Social Democratic Party rule (excepting the wartime emergency grand coalition).
- 1978: The Liberal Party forms a short-lived minority government by itself, with chairperson Ola Ullsten as prime minister. Hans Blix, of later Iraq-war fame, is foreign minister.
- 1979: A new attempt at a three-party coalition is made.
- 1980–82: Forms a two-party coalition government with the Centre party.
- 1990: Adds "Liberalerna" (The Liberals) to its name.
- 1991–94: Part of four-party coalition government under Moderate Party leader Carl Bildt.
- 2002: More than doubles vote share and comes close to a second place in elections; party leader Lars Leijonborg fails to unite a green-liberal four-party coalition government with passive Moderate support.
- 2006-: Part of a four-party coalition government under Moderate Party leader Fredrik Reinfeldt.
Read more about this topic: Liberal People's Party (Sweden)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“We aspire to be something more than stupid and timid chattels, pretending to read history and our Bibles, but desecrating every house and every day we breathe in.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“... in America ... children are instructed in the virtues of the system they live under, as though history had achieved a happy ending in American civics.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)
“The whole history of civilisation is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)