reviews

Mr Ian Hunter of his edition companion volume to the liberalism. It was heavily associ- of the correspondence which present tome. ated with the 1848 revolutions passed between Churchill and and things went downhill from Lloyd George, more than 1,000 Dr J. Graham Jones is Senior there on. Despite being the communications in all, dat- Archivist and Head of the Welsh main voice for German unifica- ing from 1904 to 1945. It will Political Archive at the National tion, its regionalism stifled its undoubtedly be an admirable Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. development – always looking towards the state instead of the people, whom it might be said to fear. Not only the National- liberale Partei (National Liberal Liberalism in Germany and the Netherlands Party) on the right but also the Deutsche Volkspartei and Patrick van Schie and Gerrit Voerman (eds.) The Dividing Fortschrittliche Volkspartei Line between Success and Failure (Lit Verlag, 2006) (Progressive People’s Party) on the left (in particular) had a Reviewed by Saeed Rahman chequered history under Bis- marck and the Kaiser; while they had some successes, they y first encounter with one tends to see a synergy were increasingly marginalised continental liberal- between the Dutch Volkspartij on the national stage. However, Mism was a happy one, voor Vrijheid en Democratie the Kulturkampf was as much some time in the mid 1970s. – VVD (People’s Party for Free- their policy as Bismarck’s, Steve Atack, then Chair of the dom and Democracy) and the reflecting the anti-clericalism National League of Young Lib- German Freie Demokratische that characterises much conti- erals, brought a delegation from Partei – FDP (Free Democratic nental liberalism (and the fact the Youth Wing of D66 down Party) on the right or economic that Roman Catholicism was to Maldon to meet a Young Lib- wing. The Dutch Democraten a major force for the darkest eral branch. The meeting over, 66 – D66 (Democrats 66) on the forms of Conservatism for many we all went to the pub, returned other hand represents the left years to come). home and we, as hosts, skinned or social wing of LI and is more The precursors of D66 and up. ‘Ahhh, ze Eenglisch joint’ commonly allied with the Brit- the VVD in the Netherlands said one of our Dutch fraters (we ish Liberals. enjoyed a less traumatic history. didn’t even have joint-sized This split between economic Despite what one might expect Rizlas). They then produced and social liberals is common their stash … in Europe and was also the case This book bears an in Germany before the shame- unpromising title, and when it ful capitulation to Hitler. It is goes on to explain that it is ‘a unfortunate that the contribu- comparison of liberalism in the tors to this anthology do not Netherlands and Germany in touch on this matter – why not the 19th and 20th centuries’, are is perhaps the most pressing we greatly encouraged? Mark question we would put to them. Smulian, reviewing the anthol- Both the Deutsche Demokra- ogy for Liberator, wasn’t, but as I tische Partei – DDP (German pointed out, he was wrong. Democratic Party) on the left It was not only in Britain and the Deutsche Volkspartei – that liberalism suffered a decline DVP (German People’s Party) after the First World War, and were important, if declining, whilst there are generalisations players in the Weimar Republic, that can be gleaned from the but signed away constitutional study of our sister liberal move- powers to Hitler in the belief ments, it is evident that local that he was a politician whom factors played a part in both they would be able to moderate. decline and recovery. There was German liberalism has a little interplay between the lib- proud intellectual heritage, eral movements of Germany and counting Kant and Hegel the Netherlands until relatively among its ranks, though Hum- recently. On the Liberal Inter- boldt (through John Stuart Mill) national (LI) stage nowadays is its main influence on British

Journal of Liberal History 58 Spring 2008 47 A Liberal Democrat History Group fringe meeting WORKING WITH OTHERS: THE LIB-LAB PACT From March 1977 to October 1978, the Liberal Party kept Jim Callaghan’s Labour government in power through the Lib-Lab Pact. Labour ministers consulted systematically with Liberal spokespeople across a wide range of policy areas. Arguably, the Pact restored a degree of political and economic stability to the country, but its achievements from a Liberal point of view were highly limited and it did not appear to be popular with the country at large.

Yet, in the longer term, the Pact can be seen to have paved the way for the concept of different political parties working together – which led in the following decade to the Liberal–SDP Alliance and may – ultimately – lead to coalition government at Westminster.

Twenty years on from the Pact, key participants from both sides discuss its history and impact.

Speakers: David Steel (Leader of the Liberal Party 1976–88); Tom McNally (Head of the Prime Minister’s Political Office 1976–79);Michal Steed (President of the Liberal Party 1978–79, and academic psephologist). Chair: Geoff Tordoff (Chairman of the Liberal Party 1976–79).

7.00pm, Monday 14 July National Liberal Club, 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1

given the character of the but amazingly, the liberals re-emerged within the movements of Germany and Dutch, a liberal party did went on to form a single current rounds of internal the Netherlands, though, not emerge until 1885 – the party – the aforementioned squabbling in the VVD and alas, one cannot go much Liberale Unie – LU (Liberal FDP – which, in view of D66. In particular there further with the Dutch Union) – and then only as the nature of the country’s is the danger of populism without a knowledge of that a rather loose coalition. Its political system, has enjoyed which the successes of Pim language. Given the ascend- decline in the 1930s was considerable success, albeit Fortuyn exposed them to. ancy that they enjoy within associated with economic as a junior coalition partner. There is little on Dutch LI and their greater grasp of policies which could not The book’s contributors liberalism available in Eng- the balances between social endure in the times in which agree that the FDP lacks a lish, so this is a welcome vol- and economic liberalism, a they were implemented – sound electoral base, which ume from that aspect alone. closer examination of these the dislocation of the free I suspect mainly reflects Frölich’s piece on German parties might serve the Lib- trade system in the wake that old lack of faith in the liberalism in Journal of Liberal eral Democrats well. of the First World War is people. The VVD, on the History 41 (Winter 2003–04) certainly one of the reasons other hand, has gone from left many questions unan- Saeed Rahman read German for the weakness of liberal strength to strength, whilst swered on the FDP and Det- History at the LSE and has movements in that period. D66 has played a signifi- mar Doering’s contribution been active in Liberal and inter- After the Second World cant role in Dutch politics. in this book meets some of national Liberal politics since the War, Germany was again The authors speculate on these. Overall, the anthol- 1960s. fragmented and its liberal- merger, then dismiss the ogy makes a good starting- ism at first reflected this, idea, though it has since point for studying the liberal