It sought to synthesise liberalism, nationalism and non-Marxist socialism with Protestant Christian values in order to cross the ideological front lines and draw workers away from Marxist class struggle.

As a result of this, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) was founded and soon outlawed under the first Chancellor of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck.

Since the SPD was Marxist, using Karl Marx's Das Kapital for their theoretical underpinnings, the ruling classes considered it a threat.

Naumann's party advocated a stronger role for the parliament, but did not question the leading position of the monarch.

In the elections of 1898 and 1903, the candidates of the association failed to gain seats and Naumann dissolved the party, merging into the centrist liberal Free-minded Union.