Julie Smith explores the THE GROWTH OF LIBERAL growth of global cooperation between Liberal parties INTERNATIONAL

n October 2003, Liber- The founders des Partis Démocratiques similaires, sought to bring together Liber- als from across the globe of Liberal which met from 1925 until 1934. als from a range of countries. The descended on Dakar, Sen- International With the advent of war these con- centenary of the Parti Libéral Belge at Wadham egal for the 52ND Congress College, Oxford, tacts had all but disappeared. After in 1946 provided the opportu- of the April 1947. the Second World War there were nity for an international gather- I(LI). On 15 June 2003 the Africa (Reproduced two forces that contributed to ing, which gave plenty of scope Liberal Network was launched in with the kind the re-emergence of cooperation for networking as well as produc- Johannesburg, . Both permission among , one Anglo-Nor- ing the Declaration of Brussels, of Liberal events are symbolic of the vital- International.) wegian, the other Belgian. which set out Liberal principles. ity of LI and also of the presence In 1945, John MacCullum Moreover, on this occasion the of and Liberal parties Scott was posted to the Headquar- British Liberal leader, Clement in Africa. All this is a far cry from ters of the Allied Land Forces in Davies, did endorse international- the early days of LI, when the . MacCullum Scott was a ism, inviting the Liberals to meet vast majority of members were Liberal, but one whose relation- again the following year, this time European, when democracy was ship with the party was fairly loose. in the UK. However, it was left under threat or entirely absent Nevertheless, he was determined to the BLIC actually to organise from many parts of the world and to build up contacts with Norwe- the conference, which eventually when the future for Liberalism gians Liberals during his posting. brought together Liberals from seemed somewhat bleak. Fascism While he initially found it difficult nineteen countries in Oxford in was a very recent memory, Com- to identify Liberal interlocutors in April 1947. munism was a potent reality for Norway, MacCullum Scott even- The vast majority of partici- millions and many states, notably tually made contacts who were pants at the Oxford conference those in Africa, were still colonies willing to cooperate and whose were European, although there of European powers. At the same views he felt were sufficiently in were also representatives from time, parties of the moderate tune with his own.1 His attempts South Africa, and the left and right were beginning to to get the British . This was to be the espouse the values of liberalism, to join his venture came to lit- pattern for many years, as Liber- at least rhetorically, leaving little tle, however, as the Liberals were alism failed to flourish in other space on the recovering from electoral devasta- continents. Even in Europe, for Liberal parties. It was against tion in the 1945 general election. Liberalism was constrained by this unpromising background Thus, the British contribution the Communist regimes that that Liberal International was to the creation of what became prevailed in the East; owing to established in 1947. Liberal International came from the nature of their national gov- In the aftermath of the Second a small group of interested indi- ernments, and Estonia World War, Liberals from , viduals, not the party. These peo- were represented at Oxford by the UK and Norway began to ple established the British Liberal exiles (as was because of its think about ways of creating links International Council (BLIC, later right-wing, rather than left-wing, with Liberals from other coun- renamed the Liberal International regime). Later, Czechoslovakia’s tries. Liberal parties had begun to (British Group)) in 1946, and it option of participating in Lib- cooperate in 1910, with formal was the Council which worked to eral circles was also curtailed by links being established within the create LI. Communism. framework of the Entente Inter- The leader of the Belgian Lib- Cooperation in the early nationale des Parties Radicaux et erals, Senator Roger Motz, also years of LI was often among

36 Journal of Liberal History 42 Spring 2004 THE GROWTH OF LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL like-minded individuals rather party systems changed. Thus, the withering away in the 1990s. than political parties. This clearly change in direction was not as Nevertheless, a model had been affected the organisation’s capac- difficult to achieve as it seemed in created and other Liberal group- ity for action since individuals, the mid-1970s. ings have been established and even well-known individuals, From the start LI, with Mac- in some cases have flourished. In rarely enjoy the ability to influ- Cullum Scott as its first Secretary particular, the Council of Asian ence events that political parties General, had sought to widen its Liberals and Democrats, estab- possess. Over the years there were membership. Even within Europe lished in 1993, has been extremely discussions as to whether or not there were several states that were active, bringing together Liberals the role of political parties within not represented, while further from a range of countries. Their LI should be strengthened and a afield it proved harder to secure ‘Eastern’ Liberalism might differ decision to end individual mem- support. The Canadian Liberals somewhat from that of the West, bership was taken in the early have long been electorally suc- but CALD member parties are all 1990s, when it was decided that cessful but, perhaps for that rea- members or observers of LI and greater party involvement would son, they saw other parties as their are thus all deemed to be Liberal. strengthen the organisation. Yet, natural allies. Moreover, the anti- Progress in Africa has, perhaps if individual affiliation to LI has clericalism of many continental inevitably, been slower than else- ceased, non-party membership Liberal parties was a problem for where, owing to the slow process persists in the form of ‘Groups’ – a party that looked to the Québe- of democratisation in the conti- literally groups of liberal-inclined cois Catholics for votes. In the nent. Yet, even in Africa, Liberal (there is no requirement to be a United States there was profound parties have been established and member of a Liberal party) peo- hostility to the name ‘Liberal’, there are Liberal heads of govern- ple who wish to be involved. The while in and New Zea- LI has ment, notably Maitre Adboulaye BLIC was the first such group, land, there were few Liberals to moved a Wade, President of Senegal, and with the , be found. Elsewhere the situation the host of the most recent LI and also creating groups, was similar or even worse. long way Congress. LI has moved a long which are members of LI along- Gradually, however, links were way from its origins geographi- side the respective Liberal parties forged with Liberals from other from its cally but its aims have remained from those countries.2 continents. When Pierre Tru- the same – to serve as ‘the pre- LI devoted most of its energies deau was elected Prime Minis- origins eminent network for liberal par- to Europe in the early years, in ter of Canada, he was willing to geographi- ties and for the strengthening of part because that was where most work with LI and eventually the around the of the members came from and Canadian Liberal Party joined cally but its world’.4 in part because it was committed LI in 1973. Since then the party to the new process of European has been a key member, provid- aims have Dr Julie Smith is Deputy Director integration that was occurring. ing a venue for LI’s first Congress of the Centre of International Studies, Other parts of the world were not held outside Europe (in Ottawa remained Cambridge University and a Fellow ignored entirely, but Africa and in 1979); Canadian Liberals have the same of Robinson College, Cambridge. She Asia appeared more as subjects also served in senior positions in is author, inter alia, of A Sense of of debates at LI Congresses than LI. As Latin America embraced – to serve Liberty: The History of the Lib- as regions likely to produce part- democracy, Liberal parties affili- eral International, the official his- ners for European Liberals in the ated to LI and then established as ‘the pre- tory of LI commissioned for its fiftieth 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.3 It was the the first of a series of regional anniversary in 1997. decision of the European Com- bodies. In 1986, the Federacion eminent munity to hold direct elections Liberal Centroamericana y del network 1 The different origins of Liberal par- to the that Caribe (FELICA) was set up to ties within Europe as well as the con- notations of the word ‘liberal’, which finally altered the course of LI’s bring together Liberals from the for liberal in some countries, such as the United history. With the prospect of elec- Dominican Republic, , States, are negatively perceived, has been tions it was decided that a Euro- Nicaragua, Panama and El Sal- parties a problem for LI throughout its history. pean party federation should be vador. The initiative was a sound 2 The German Group was established at a set up to compete against Social one, since parties that are reason- and for the time when West German political par- ties were gradually being formed and and Christian Democrat parties. ably close geographically clearly strength- before the were seen as This decision led to the birth, in find it easier to collaborate more an automatic ally of LI. 1976, of the Federation of Liberal regularly than they can at a global ening of 3 One theme of the 1953 Congress, for and Democratic Parties of the level. FELICA depended on the example, was ‘the future of Africa’, while European Community. Shorn of support of the German Friedrich liberal the 1954 Congress considered ‘the emancipation of Asia’. The latter topic its European identity, LI began Naumann Stiftung, an organi- democracy in particular highlights the challenges to look for a new role. Gradually, sation that has served to foster that were facing Liberalism and even Liberal parties began to emerge emerging Liberal parties around around the democracy in that part of the world. in other continents as democra- the world. FELICA was not 4 Liberal International, ‘An overview of cies were established or as existing ultimately successful, however, world’. the world federation of liberal parties’.

Journal of Liberal History 42 Spring 2004 37