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Venstre (Norway)
Encyclopedia
The Liberal Party is a centrist liberal
political party
in Norway
. The party is the oldest in the country, and has enacted reforms such as parliamentarism, freedom of religion, universal suffrage and free education. Since 2010, the leader of the party is Trine Skei Grande
. Having initially been a major party in Norway, it has in recent times become marginalized, and has struggled to get above the election threshold
.
The party is regarded as social liberal, and advocate personal freedom under the pre-condition of an active state. Since the 1970s
, the party has maintained a environmentalist position, which was an important part of the party profile when it came back to parliament in the 1990s
. Overall, it has had a centrist position in the Norwegian political landscape. The party is also a strong supporter of multiculturalism
, increased labour immigration to Norway, and relaxed integration
measures.
Founded in 1884, then with the main support from farmer
s and city radicals, it was the first political party that came into existence in Norway. Since the 1880s
, the party has seen many internal schisms, which has always concluded with the slow death of the moderate wings, while the radical wing has lived on. The most notable recent schism was in 1972, when the Liberal Party decided to oppose Norwegian membership in the European Union
, and the faction supporting membership broke out and formed the Liberal People's Party. The party lost much of its support in the post-war era, but has participated in numerous centrist and centre-right
government coalitions. Since the 1960s
, the party has only come above the threshold twice, and from 1985 to 1993, the party was not represented in Parliament.
, social liberal
and centrist party. Through its history it has taken part in both centre-right and pure centrist coalition governments. From 2001 to 2005, it was in a centre-right coalition government with the Conservative Party and Christian Democratic Party; after the 2005 election, it is now in opposition.
In the last few election campaigns, Venstre's main focus has been on environmental issues, education, small-business and social issues. Venstre advocates higher taxes on activities that damage the environment. The party advocates a reform of the Norwegian welfare state
through a guaranteed minimum income
(Borgerlønn) for all citizens. Some other issues Venstre advocate are increased labour immigration, abolition of the Church of Norway
as the State church
, an approach to a system of Flat tax
with deductions and more power to local authorities (kommuner
.) At the national convention in 2005, Venstre decided with a margin of only five votes to still oppose Norway joining the European Union
, albeit weakly. It prefers continued membership in the European Economic Area
. In 2007, Venstre became the first Norwegian party to advocate legal file sharing.
became the first Norwegian prime minister to be appointed on the basis of having the support of a majority in the Storting. Later, Venstre advocated universal suffrage
for men, which was achieved in 1898, the break-up of the Swedish-Norwegian Union
, which happened in 1905, and universal women's suffrage
, which was introduced in 1913. In the first decades after 1884, Venstre formed several governments, interspersed with periods of Høyre-governments. Six different Prime Ministers of Norway have come from Venstre, all of them before 1935. With the growth of Arbeiderpartiet (the labour party), Venstre gradually lost ground. The election of 1915 was the last in which Venstre was the largest party and won an outright majority in the Storting. Venstre was further weakened with the formation of Bondepartiet (the farmers' party, the present day Senterpartiet) in 1920, and Kristelig Folkeparti (Christian peoples' party) in 1933, both of which were formed partly by former Venstre-members. After World War II, Venstre has been part of four coalition governments, the most recent one being the second government of Kjell Magne Bondevik
from 2001 to 2005.
A dispute over Norwegian membership in the European Community, now the European Union, made the party split up at Røros
in 1972, with the people favoring EC membership departing, and forming Det Liberale Folkepartiet (The Liberal People's Party). These included the party leader, Helge Seip, and 9 of the 13 members of parliament. Since then, Venstre has been a fairly small party. The parliamentary group was reduced to two after the 1973 election.
In 1974, Venstre elected the first female leader of a political party in Norway, Eva Kolstad.
Election results continued to be poor for Venstre. Before the 1985 elections, the party announced for the first, and so far only, time that they would support a Labour Party
government. At the following election they lost their two remaining seats, and were without representation in the Norwegian Parliament for the first time. In 1988, Venstre was re-united with the splinter party from 1972, now calling itself Det Liberale Folkepartiet (the Liberal People's Party), but at the elections of 1989, the re-united party again failed to win parliamentary seats. In 1993 the party again failed to achieve the 4% threshold
which would make them eligible for the "equalizing" seats in parliament, but Lars Sponheim
was elected directly from Hordaland
county. (Before the election, Sponheim had made the wager that he would walk across the mountains from his home in Ulvik
to the parliament in capital city Oslo
if elected—a wager he delivered on, to much good-humoured interest from the press.)
In 1997, Venstre passed the 4% threshold, increasing their seats in parliament to six. As a consequence Venstre also saw their first participation in cabinet since 1973. The party held four seats in the minority first government of Kjell Magne Bondevik
. Lars Sponheim became minister of industry and commerce, Odd Einar Dørum
; minister of communications, later minister of justice, Guro Fjellanger
; minister of environmental protection, and Eldbjørg Løwer
; minister of administration, later minister of defense. Mrs. Løwer was the first female minister of defense in Norway. This cabinet resigned in 2000, refusing to accept the Storting's decision to build gas power plants. In 2001, Venstre narrowly failed to reach the 4% threshold, but got two representatives elected, Sponheim and Odd Einar Dørum. However, due to Venstre becoming part of the second coalition government of Kjell Magne Bondevik
, with Sponheim and Dørum entering the cabinet, the two were represented in parliament by deputies. The party also got a third member of the cabinet, with the appointment of Torild Skogsholm
as Minister of Transport and Communications.
The 2005 elections
gave Venstre 5.9% of the vote, their best result since the 1969 elections. Venstre won 6 seats directly, and an additional 4 seats through the 4%+ equalizing system. Due to the majority of the Red-Green Coalition
, Venstre became an opposition party.
On the evening of 14 September 2009, Lars Sponheim announced that he would step down as party leader, as a consequence of the poor result his party to be achieved in the 2009 general elections. Venstre ended up under the 4% threshold for levelling seats, leaving the party with only two seats in parliament, Trine Skei Grande
and Borghild Tenden
, whereas they had ten seats before the election. After the election, the party started experiencing a formidable growth in members. Days after the election, the number of paying members grew by more than 20%. At the party conference in April 2010, Trine Skei Grande was unanimously elected as the new leader of the party.
, the party refers to itself as a centrist party. Since the Senterpartiet (The Centre Party) is a component of the governing left alliance, and Venstre is part of the "non-socialist" opposition, a situation has been produced where the centre party is more on the left than Left itself. When the name Left was chosen in 1884, the word did not refer to socialism in the way "Left wing" does today. It meant liberal or radical in comparison to the conservatives on the right, and referred to the position of the seats in Parliament. The use of the word for "left" in the names of the Danish
political parties Venstre
and Radikale Venstre
is also meant to refer to Liberalism
and not Socialism
.
The term originates from the French Revolution
, when liberal
deputies from the Third Estate generally sat to the left of the president's chair, a habit which began in the Estates General
of 1789. The nobility, members of the Second Estate, generally sat to the right.
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The party is the oldest in the country, and has enacted reforms such as parliamentarism, freedom of religion, universal suffrage and free education. Since 2010, the leader of the party is Trine Skei Grande
Trine Skei Grande
Trine Skei Grande is a Norwegian politician and leader of the Liberal Party of Norway. She is currently a member of the Norwegian Parliament for her second consecutive term, first serving as deputy member from 2001 and later elected in the 2005 parliamentary election.Although the Liberal Party...
. Having initially been a major party in Norway, it has in recent times become marginalized, and has struggled to get above the election threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
.
The party is regarded as social liberal, and advocate personal freedom under the pre-condition of an active state. Since the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, the party has maintained a environmentalist position, which was an important part of the party profile when it came back to parliament in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
. Overall, it has had a centrist position in the Norwegian political landscape. The party is also a strong supporter of multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, increased labour immigration to Norway, and relaxed integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
measures.
Founded in 1884, then with the main support from farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and city radicals, it was the first political party that came into existence in Norway. Since the 1880s
1880s
The 1880s was the decade that spanned from January 1, 1880 to December 31, 1889. They occurred at the core period of the Second Industrial Revolution. Most Western countries experienced a large economic boom, due to the mass production of railroads and other more convenient methods of travel...
, the party has seen many internal schisms, which has always concluded with the slow death of the moderate wings, while the radical wing has lived on. The most notable recent schism was in 1972, when the Liberal Party decided to oppose Norwegian membership in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, and the faction supporting membership broke out and formed the Liberal People's Party. The party lost much of its support in the post-war era, but has participated in numerous centrist and centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
government coalitions. Since the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, the party has only come above the threshold twice, and from 1985 to 1993, the party was not represented in Parliament.
Policies
Venstre is a liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, social liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
and centrist party. Through its history it has taken part in both centre-right and pure centrist coalition governments. From 2001 to 2005, it was in a centre-right coalition government with the Conservative Party and Christian Democratic Party; after the 2005 election, it is now in opposition.
In the last few election campaigns, Venstre's main focus has been on environmental issues, education, small-business and social issues. Venstre advocates higher taxes on activities that damage the environment. The party advocates a reform of the Norwegian welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
through a guaranteed minimum income
Guaranteed minimum income
Guaranteed minimum income is a system of social welfare provision that guarantees that all citizens or families have an income sufficient to live on, provided they meet certain conditions. Eligibility is typically determined by citizenship, a means test and either availability for the labour...
(Borgerlønn) for all citizens. Some other issues Venstre advocate are increased labour immigration, abolition of the Church of Norway
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
as the State church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
, an approach to a system of Flat tax
Flat tax
A flat tax is a tax system with a constant marginal tax rate. Typically the term flat tax is applied in the context of an individual or corporate income that will be taxed at one marginal rate...
with deductions and more power to local authorities (kommuner
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
.) At the national convention in 2005, Venstre decided with a margin of only five votes to still oppose Norway joining the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, albeit weakly. It prefers continued membership in the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
. In 2007, Venstre became the first Norwegian party to advocate legal file sharing.
History
The party Venstre was formed in 1884 in connection with the dispute about whether or not to introduce parliamentarism in Norway. Venstre (which means "Left" in Norwegian) was the party advocating parliamentarism, whereas the conservatives, who opposed parliamentarism, formed the party Høyre (which means "Right"). When the fight for parliamentarism was won, Venstre's leader Johan SverdrupJohan Sverdrup
Johan Sverdrup was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first Prime Minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism. Sverdrup was Prime Minister from 1884 to 1889.- Early years :...
became the first Norwegian prime minister to be appointed on the basis of having the support of a majority in the Storting. Later, Venstre advocated universal suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
for men, which was achieved in 1898, the break-up of the Swedish-Norwegian Union
Union between Sweden and Norway
The Union between Sweden and Norway , officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, consisted of present-day Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union....
, which happened in 1905, and universal women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, which was introduced in 1913. In the first decades after 1884, Venstre formed several governments, interspersed with periods of Høyre-governments. Six different Prime Ministers of Norway have come from Venstre, all of them before 1935. With the growth of Arbeiderpartiet (the labour party), Venstre gradually lost ground. The election of 1915 was the last in which Venstre was the largest party and won an outright majority in the Storting. Venstre was further weakened with the formation of Bondepartiet (the farmers' party, the present day Senterpartiet) in 1920, and Kristelig Folkeparti (Christian peoples' party) in 1933, both of which were formed partly by former Venstre-members. After World War II, Venstre has been part of four coalition governments, the most recent one being the second government of Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician . He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Labour Party Prime Minister since World War II...
from 2001 to 2005.
A dispute over Norwegian membership in the European Community, now the European Union, made the party split up at Røros
Røros
is a town and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Other villages include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen....
in 1972, with the people favoring EC membership departing, and forming Det Liberale Folkepartiet (The Liberal People's Party). These included the party leader, Helge Seip, and 9 of the 13 members of parliament. Since then, Venstre has been a fairly small party. The parliamentary group was reduced to two after the 1973 election.
In 1974, Venstre elected the first female leader of a political party in Norway, Eva Kolstad.
Election results continued to be poor for Venstre. Before the 1985 elections, the party announced for the first, and so far only, time that they would support a Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
government. At the following election they lost their two remaining seats, and were without representation in the Norwegian Parliament for the first time. In 1988, Venstre was re-united with the splinter party from 1972, now calling itself Det Liberale Folkepartiet (the Liberal People's Party), but at the elections of 1989, the re-united party again failed to win parliamentary seats. In 1993 the party again failed to achieve the 4% threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
which would make them eligible for the "equalizing" seats in parliament, but Lars Sponheim
Lars Sponheim
Lars Sponheim is a Norwegian politician. He was leader of the Liberal Party from 1996 to 2010. He was a member of the Storting from 1993 to 2009, and a government minister from 1997 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2005. He is the current County Governor of Hordaland, serving since March 2010.Sponheim was...
was elected directly from Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
county. (Before the election, Sponheim had made the wager that he would walk across the mountains from his home in Ulvik
Ulvik
Ulvik is a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality stretches from the Hardangerfjord to 1,800 metres above sea level, and borders the municipalities of Granvin, Eidfjord, Ullensvang, Voss, Aurland, and Hol. It takes around two hours to drive from Bergen to Ulvik. The nearest...
to the parliament in capital city Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
if elected—a wager he delivered on, to much good-humoured interest from the press.)
In 1997, Venstre passed the 4% threshold, increasing their seats in parliament to six. As a consequence Venstre also saw their first participation in cabinet since 1973. The party held four seats in the minority first government of Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician . He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Labour Party Prime Minister since World War II...
. Lars Sponheim became minister of industry and commerce, Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum is a Norwegian politician and former member of parliament, representing The Liberal Party.Dørum was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then Minister of Justice until 3 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government...
; minister of communications, later minister of justice, Guro Fjellanger
Guro Fjellanger
Guro Fjellanger is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. She served as Minister of the Environment in the first cabinet Bondevik, as the first Norwegian government minister with a disability.-Career:...
; minister of environmental protection, and Eldbjørg Løwer
Eldbjørg Løwer
Eldbjørg Løwer is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party.Originally a ceramist, trained at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry, she would eventually move into politics, serving as mayor of Kongsberg and later leader of Kongsberg Chamber of commerce...
; minister of administration, later minister of defense. Mrs. Løwer was the first female minister of defense in Norway. This cabinet resigned in 2000, refusing to accept the Storting's decision to build gas power plants. In 2001, Venstre narrowly failed to reach the 4% threshold, but got two representatives elected, Sponheim and Odd Einar Dørum. However, due to Venstre becoming part of the second coalition government of Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician . He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Labour Party Prime Minister since World War II...
, with Sponheim and Dørum entering the cabinet, the two were represented in parliament by deputies. The party also got a third member of the cabinet, with the appointment of Torild Skogsholm
Torild Skogsholm
Torhild Skogsholm is a Norwegian politician . She was Minister of Transport and Communications from 2001 to 2005. She is now the director of the Oslo tram company Oslo Sporvognsdrift....
as Minister of Transport and Communications.
The 2005 elections
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. More than 3.4 million Norwegians were eligible for vote for the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The new Storting has 169 members, an increase of four over the 2001 election....
gave Venstre 5.9% of the vote, their best result since the 1969 elections. Venstre won 6 seats directly, and an additional 4 seats through the 4%+ equalizing system. Due to the majority of the Red-Green Coalition
Red-Green Coalition (Norway)
The Red-Green Coalition is a centre-left coalition of Norwegian parties, formed by the Labour , the Socialist Left Party , and the Centre Party. Unlike many other Red-Green coalitions, the "Green" here is the colour of a centrist party rather than an actual Green party...
, Venstre became an opposition party.
On the evening of 14 September 2009, Lars Sponheim announced that he would step down as party leader, as a consequence of the poor result his party to be achieved in the 2009 general elections. Venstre ended up under the 4% threshold for levelling seats, leaving the party with only two seats in parliament, Trine Skei Grande
Trine Skei Grande
Trine Skei Grande is a Norwegian politician and leader of the Liberal Party of Norway. She is currently a member of the Norwegian Parliament for her second consecutive term, first serving as deputy member from 2001 and later elected in the 2005 parliamentary election.Although the Liberal Party...
and Borghild Tenden
Borghild Tenden
Borghild Tenden is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party . She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Akershus in 2005, and currently acts as the party whip. She previously served as a deputy representative from 1997-2001.Although the 2009 parliamentary election ended badly for the...
, whereas they had ten seats before the election. After the election, the party started experiencing a formidable growth in members. Days after the election, the number of paying members grew by more than 20%. At the party conference in April 2010, Trine Skei Grande was unanimously elected as the new leader of the party.
Name of the party
While the name of the party means Left in NorwegianNorwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, the party refers to itself as a centrist party. Since the Senterpartiet (The Centre Party) is a component of the governing left alliance, and Venstre is part of the "non-socialist" opposition, a situation has been produced where the centre party is more on the left than Left itself. When the name Left was chosen in 1884, the word did not refer to socialism in the way "Left wing" does today. It meant liberal or radical in comparison to the conservatives on the right, and referred to the position of the seats in Parliament. The use of the word for "left" in the names of the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
political parties Venstre
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
and Radikale Venstre
Det Radikale Venstre
The Danish Social Liberal Party is a social liberal political party in Denmark. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-Origin:...
is also meant to refer to Liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and not Socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
.
The term originates from the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, when liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
deputies from the Third Estate generally sat to the left of the president's chair, a habit which began in the Estates General
French States-General
In France under the Old Regime, the States-General or Estates-General , was a legislative assembly of the different classes of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates, which were called and dismissed by the king...
of 1789. The nobility, members of the Second Estate, generally sat to the right.
Party leaders
- 1884 Johan SverdrupJohan SverdrupJohan Sverdrup was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first Prime Minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism. Sverdrup was Prime Minister from 1884 to 1889.- Early years :...
- 1884-1889 Ole Anton QvamOle Anton QvamOle Anton Qvam was the Norwegian Minister of Justice 1891-1893, 1898–1899 and 1900–1902, Minister of the Interior 1899-1900, as well as head of the Ministry of Auditing, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Justice in 1900, and Norwegian prime minister in Stockholm 1902-1903....
- 1889-1893 Johannes SteenJohannes SteenJohannes Wilhelm Christian Steen was a Norwegian politician, Prime Minister of Norway from 1891 to 1893 and from 1898 to 1902....
- 1893-1894 Viggo UllmannViggo UllmannJohan Christian Viggo Ullmann was a Norwegian educator and politician of Venstre, the Norwegian social-liberal party....
- 1894-1896 Ole Anton Qvam
- 1898-1900 Viggo Ullmann
- 1900-1903 Lars HolstLars HolstLars Kristian Holst was a Norwegian journalist, newspaper editor and politician. He was editor-in-chief of Dagbladet from 1883 to 1898 and chairman of the Liberal Party of Norway from 1900 to 1903.-Personal life:...
- 1903-1909 Carl BernerCarl BernerCarl Christian Berner was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He was member of the Council of State Division in Stockholm 1891–92, and Norwegian Minister of Education and Church Affairs 1891–93....
- 1909-1927 Gunnar KnudsenGunnar KnudsenGunnar Knudsen , born Aanon Gunerius Knudsen, was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party who had two spells as Prime Minister of Norway from 1908 to 1910 and from 1913 to 1920...
- 1927-1940 Johan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig Mowinckel was a Norwegian political figure representing Venstre, the social liberal party. He served as Prime Minister of Norway between 1924 and 1926, again from 1928 until 1931, and finally between 1933 and 1935.Born in Bergen, he founded the shipping company A/S J. Ludwig...
- 1945-1952 Jacob S. Worm-MüllerJacob S. Worm-MüllerJacob Stenersen Worm-Müller was a Norwegian historian, magazine editor, and professor at the University of Oslo...
- 1952-1964 Bent RøiselandBent RøiselandBent Røiseland was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party and later the Liberal People's Party....
- 1964-1970 Gunnar GarboGunnar GarboGunnar Garbo is a Norwegian journalist, politician and ambassador. He represented the Liberal Party of Norway at the Norwegian Parliament during four electorial periods, from 1958 to 1973, and was leader for the party from 1964 to 1970...
- 1970-1972 Helge SeipHelge SeipHelge Seip was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party and later the Liberal People's Party.He was born in Surnadal. At a young age he became involved in the Young Liberals, the youth wing of the Liberal Party. In the local chapter of Oslo he was a member of the board from 1937 to 1939, and...
- 1972-1974 Helge RognlienHelge RognlienHelge Rognlien was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party.He was born in Oslo. At the outbreak of World War II, Rognlien was a student at the University of Oslo...
- 1974-1976 Eva Kolstad
- 1976-1982 Hans Hammond Rosbach
- 1982-1986 Odd Einar DørumOdd Einar DørumOdd Einar Dørum is a Norwegian politician and former member of parliament, representing The Liberal Party.Dørum was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then Minister of Justice until 3 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government...
- 1986-1990 Arne Fjørtoft
- 1990-1992 Håvard AlstadheimHåvard AlstadheimHåvard Alstadheim was a Norwegian economist and politician for the Liberal Party.He was born in Stjørdal, and took the cand.oecon. degree. He was appointed as a docent in economics at the University of Trondheim in 1975, and was promoted to professor...
- 1992-1996 Odd Einar DørumOdd Einar DørumOdd Einar Dørum is a Norwegian politician and former member of parliament, representing The Liberal Party.Dørum was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then Minister of Justice until 3 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government...
- 1996-2010 Lars SponheimLars SponheimLars Sponheim is a Norwegian politician. He was leader of the Liberal Party from 1996 to 2010. He was a member of the Storting from 1993 to 2009, and a government minister from 1997 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2005. He is the current County Governor of Hordaland, serving since March 2010.Sponheim was...
- 2010–present Trine Skei GrandeTrine Skei GrandeTrine Skei Grande is a Norwegian politician and leader of the Liberal Party of Norway. She is currently a member of the Norwegian Parliament for her second consecutive term, first serving as deputy member from 2001 and later elected in the 2005 parliamentary election.Although the Liberal Party...
Prime ministers from Venstre
- 1884-1889 Johan SverdrupJohan SverdrupJohan Sverdrup was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first Prime Minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism. Sverdrup was Prime Minister from 1884 to 1889.- Early years :...
- 1891-1893 Johannes SteenJohannes SteenJohannes Wilhelm Christian Steen was a Norwegian politician, Prime Minister of Norway from 1891 to 1893 and from 1898 to 1902....
- 1898-1902 Johannes SteenJohannes SteenJohannes Wilhelm Christian Steen was a Norwegian politician, Prime Minister of Norway from 1891 to 1893 and from 1898 to 1902....
- 1902-1903 Otto BlehrOtto BlehrOtto Albert Blehr was a Norwegian attorney and politician representing the Liberal Party. He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1902 to 1903 during the Union between Sweden and Norway and from 1921 to 1923 following the Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden.He served as...
- 1907-1908 Jørgen LøvlandJørgen LøvlandJørgen Gunnarsson Løvland was a Norwegian politician and Prime Minister. He was Minister of Labour 1898-1899, 1900-1902 and 1902-1903, member of the Council of State Division in Stockholm 1899-1900, Prime Minister in Stockholm in 1905, Minister of Foreign Affairs 1905 and 1905-1907, Prime Minister...
- 1908-1910 Gunnar KnudsenGunnar KnudsenGunnar Knudsen , born Aanon Gunerius Knudsen, was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party who had two spells as Prime Minister of Norway from 1908 to 1910 and from 1913 to 1920...
- 1913-1920 Gunnar KnudsenGunnar KnudsenGunnar Knudsen , born Aanon Gunerius Knudsen, was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party who had two spells as Prime Minister of Norway from 1908 to 1910 and from 1913 to 1920...
- 1921-1923 Otto BlehrOtto BlehrOtto Albert Blehr was a Norwegian attorney and politician representing the Liberal Party. He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1902 to 1903 during the Union between Sweden and Norway and from 1921 to 1923 following the Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden.He served as...
- 1924-1926 Johan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig Mowinckel was a Norwegian political figure representing Venstre, the social liberal party. He served as Prime Minister of Norway between 1924 and 1926, again from 1928 until 1931, and finally between 1933 and 1935.Born in Bergen, he founded the shipping company A/S J. Ludwig...
- 1928-1931 Johan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig Mowinckel was a Norwegian political figure representing Venstre, the social liberal party. He served as Prime Minister of Norway between 1924 and 1926, again from 1928 until 1931, and finally between 1933 and 1935.Born in Bergen, he founded the shipping company A/S J. Ludwig...
- 1933-1935 Johan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig MowinckelJohan Ludwig Mowinckel was a Norwegian political figure representing Venstre, the social liberal party. He served as Prime Minister of Norway between 1924 and 1926, again from 1928 until 1931, and finally between 1933 and 1935.Born in Bergen, he founded the shipping company A/S J. Ludwig...
Election results
| Year | Vote % | MPs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | 45,4% | EWLINE |
73 | |
| 1909 | 30,7% | EWLINE |
46 | |
| 1912 | 40,2% | EWLINE |
76 | |
| 1915 | 33,3% | EWLINE |
74 | |
| 1918 | 28,3% | EWLINE |
52 | |
| 1921 | 20,1% | EWLINE |
37 | |
| 1924 | 19,6% | EWLINE |
34 | |
| 1927 | 17,3% | EWLINE |
30 | |
| 1930 | 20,2% | EWLINE |
33 | |
| 1933 | 17,1% | EWLINE |
24 | |
| 1936 | 16,0% | EWLINE |
23 | |
| 1945 | 13,8% | EWLINE |
20 | |
| 1949 | 13,1% | EWLINE |
21 | |
| 1953 | 10,0% | EWLINE |
15 | |
| 1957 | 9,7% | EWLINE |
15 | |
| 1961 | 8,8% | EWLINE |
14 | |
| 1965 | 10,4% | EWLINE |
18 | |
| 1969 | 9,4% | EWLINE |
13 | |
| 1973 | 3,5% | EWLINE |
2 | |
| 1977 | 3,2% | EWLINE |
2 | |
| 1981 | 3,9% | EWLINE |
2 | |
| 1985 | 3,1% | EWLINE |
0 | |
| 1989 | 3,2% | EWLINE |
0 | |
| 1993 | 3,6% | EWLINE |
1 | |
| 1997 | 4,5% | EWLINE |
6 | |
| 2001 | 3,9% | EWLINE |
2 | |
| 2005 | 5,9% | EWLINE |
10 | |
| 2009 | 3,9% | EWLINE |
2 |
See also
- LiberalismLiberalismLiberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
- Contributions to liberal theoryContributions to liberal theoryIndividual contributors to classical liberalism and political liberalism are associated with philosophers of the Enlightenment. Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement towards self-government and away from aristocracy...
- Liberalism worldwideLiberalism worldwideThis article gives information on liberalism in diverse countries around the world. It is an overview of parties that adhere more or less to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world....
- List of liberal parties
- Liberal democracyLiberal democracyLiberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
- Liberalism in NorwayLiberalism in NorwayThis article gives an overview of liberalism in Norway. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having been represented in the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget.-Background:...
External links
- Venstre official site (in Norwegian)
- Election results for Venstre in the 2007 local elections