Liberalism in the Netherlands
A common characteristic of these parties that they are nominally secular, in contrast to the traditionally dominant and still popular Christian democracy.
These liberals advocated a parliamentary democracy with a directly elected House of Representatives and in which the ministers, not the King, had executive power.
In 1844, nine liberal representatives led by the jurist and historian Johan Rudolph Thorbecke attempted in vain to amend the constitution and introduce parliamentary democracy.
In order to prevent civil unrest in the Netherlands, William II formed a commission, chaired by Thorbecke, which would draft a new constitution.
[4] The liberals supported a laissez-faire economy, free trade, civil rights and a gradual expansion of suffrage.
The progressive liberals also favoured government intervention in the economy, such as Van Houten's ban on child labour.
On basis of concentration pluralities, often supported by social democrats for a majority several cabinets were formed in the early 20th century.
In 1917 under one of these liberal minority cabinets universal male suffrage was introduced, as well as a proportional electoral system and equal finance for religious schools, this compromise was called the pacification of 1917.
The progressive liberal Freeminded Democratic League joined the new Doorbraak leftwing Labour Party.
In the Dutch pillarized political system the liberals mainly appealed to urban, secular upper and middle class.
The liberals did not have a strong pillar of social organization, such as trade unions and news papers, like the other political families had.
The party joined forces with the social-democratic PvdA and the progressive Christian PPR to work for a more fair and democratic Netherlands.
The party combined this economic liberalism with progressive positions on social issues, which characterized the 1970s, such as abortion, homosexuality and women's rights.
The VVD capitalized the weakening of religious and depillarization of the 1970s and made considerable electoral gains: in 1967 the party won just over 10% in 1981 this had more than doubled to 23%.
The cabinet managed a thriving Dutch economy, implemented progressive social legislation on euthanasia, gay marriage and prostitution.
In the 2002 election campaign the purple coalition came under heavy criticism of the populist politician Pim Fortuyn for mismanaging the public sector, migration and the integration of migrants.
The centre-right cabinet implemented reforms of the welfare state and oversaw declining migration figures.
In 2003 the VVD had invited social-democratic critic of Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali to join their parliamentary party.
In the cabinet VVD minister Rita Verdonk sought to limit migration and stimulate integration of minorities.
Two years after Fortuyn's assassination, another murder, this time of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, put the country's liberal tradition at further risk.
[8] In 2004 Geert Wilders left the VVD to form the Party for Freedom, which combined uncompromising criticism of Islam with a plea for lower taxation and skepticism towards European integration.
Rita Verdonk, second on the list of the VVD won more preference votes than the party's lead candidate Mark Rutte.
