In the 1930s FPU campaigned on issues such as the abolition of school fees, and in the 1950s began to demand that a proportion of GDP should go to aid.

In the 1960s FPU became prominent under the leadership of among others Per Ahlmark and Ola Ullsten and influenced its mother party in a radical direction.

However, a time of internal battles followed in the early 1970s, culminating in the chairmanship election of 1971 where the incumbent Per Gahrton was defeated by Lars Leijonborg by one vote's margin.

LUF was (and is) noted for its support of Swedish membership of the European Union, which Sweden joined in 1995.

[3] On 28 February 2016 the Stockholm branch of the party passed a motion calling for the legalization of incest and necrophilia.