Two groups of people initiated the process: one around Ludwig Alpers and Heinrich Hellwege in Stade, the other around Georg Ludewig, Karl Biester, Wolfgang Kwiecinski, and Arthur Menge in Hanover.

[4] The NLP aimed principally at the establishment of a Lower Saxon state within a federal Germany as well as representing Protestant conservatism.

[1] It soon expanded into neighbouring states under the chairmanship of Heinrich Hellwege and gained 27 seats (18.1 per cent of the total) in the first Lower Saxon Landtag election in 1947.

German Party ministers in these governments were Heinrich Hellwege (1949–1955), Hans-Joachim von Merkatz (1955–1960) and Hans-Christoph Seebohm (1949–1960).

[9] With the DP facing elimination from the Bundestag, nine of its 17 parliamentary incumbents left the party to join the CDU.