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The Liberal Political Party, "the Freedom League", (in Dutch: Liberale Staatspartij "de Vrijheidsbond", LSP) was a Dutch Conservative - Liberal Political Party . It is historically linked to the VVD , a major dutch political party. PARTY HISTORY The LSP was founded in 1921 as a merger of the mainstream liberal Liberal Union , the conservative liberal League Of Free Liberals , the minor Economic League and the One-man-parties the Neutral Party and the Middle Class Party . They were joined by the General Political Party, who lacked parliamentary representation. These were all liberal parties in the Netherlands except for the left-liberal VDB . The merger was forced by the Constitution al revision of 1918 implementing Universal Suffrage and Proportional Representation . The two biggest parties (the Liberal Union and the League of Free Liberals) had lost a considerable number of seats with the implementation of universal suffrage, while the other three parties had profited from the system of proportional representation. During its entire existence the LSP lost seats, the party started with ten seats in . Although the party was very small it was part of coalition cabinet two times between 1933 and 1937 in the second and third cabinets of Hendrikus Colijn . In 1939 several individual League-members were involved in the short-lived fifth cabinet Colijn. In 1941, after the Netherlands was invaded in 1940 by the Germans, the party was forbidden. In 1946 , af the Netherlands was liberated, the Liberal Political Party was reformed to the Freedom Party . Which in 1948 became the People's Party For Freedom And Democracy (VVD). In 1963 a group of VVD-members tried to rekindle the "Freedom League" flame, but they were unable to gain seats in the elections and dissolved. Name The party was official founded as the "Freedom League" ("Vrijheidsbond"), during the 1920 s the party adopted the name Liberal Political Party, "the Freedom League" (Liberale Staatspartij, "de Vrijheidsbond"), after 1937 it adopted the name Liberal Political Party ("Liberale Staatspartij"). IDEOLOGY & ISSUES The LSP was a Conservative - Liberal party. Personal freedom was their most important principle. It therefore defended a Small State and was in favour of Free Trade . Government should however be involved in providing Social Security for the extremely poor and Pension s for the elderly. It defended Public Education . Internationally it favoured international (mutual) disarmament and the gradual implementation of autonomy for the Dutch Indies . REPRESENTATION Leadership Chairman Of The Lower House Parliamentary Party :1922-1929 Mr.dr. A. Van Gijn :1929-1933 Mr. H.J. Knottenbelt :1933-1940 S.E.B. Bierema Ministers The League participated in two cabinets. They supplied one minister. :1933-1935 Kalff (died in office) :1935-1937 Jhr. Van Lidth de Jeude In several other cabinet persons close to the LSP were minister. Jhr. Van Lidth de Jeude was minister in the short-lived fifth cabinet Colijn, he was not appointed with support of his own party however. Furthermore there were several non-partisan ministers, who had liberal sympathies: Van Karnebeek (Foreign Affairs, 1918-1927), Kan (Home Affairs, 1926-1929) en Patijn (Home Affairs, 1937-1939). Members of the Lower House of Parliament Development of the number of seats in the Lower House, of the 100 available: : 1937 - 4 : 1933 - 7 : 1929 - 8 : 1925 - 9 : 1922 - 10 1918 - 15 Members of the Higher House of Parliament Development of the number of seats in the Higher House , of the 50 available: : 1937 - 4 : 1933 - 6 : 1929 - 6 : 1925 - 6 : 1922 - 1 1918 - 15 ELECTORATE The LSP mainly received support from themen, Civil Servants , wealthy farmers, and voters with free professions (lawyers, doctors etc.). The party performed particularly well in the major trading cities Amsterdam and Rotterdam , the rich municipalities around Hilversum and The Hague and in northern rural provinces, like Groningen and Drenthe . Pillarisation The LSP lacked a real system of Pillarized Organisation s around it. 'Neutral' organisations, which were not linked to a pillar, often had friendly relations with the LSP. This included the general broadcasting association AVRO (Algemene Verenigde Radio Omroep, General United Radio Broadcasting Organisation), the general union ANWV (Algemene Nederlandse Werkelieden Vereniging, the General Dutch Workers' Association), furthermore the neutral employers' organisation VNO and the financial paper '' Het Handelsblad '' had good relations with the League. Together with the other liberal party, the VDB, these organisation formed the weak general pillar. SEE ALSO
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