Liberalism in Serbia is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it isn't necessary so that parties labeled themselves as a liberal party.
Contents
Introduction
Liberal parties were active in former Serbia and later in Yugoslavia. After the restoration of democracy liberal factions became active again.
The timeline
From Liberals to Nationalists
- 1848: Beginning of differentiating of political currents, liberals noticeable next to the conservatives
- 1858: Liberals organized themselves though not yet as political party in the modern sense
- 1881: The group established the Society for the promotion of Serbian Literature (Дружина за помагање српске књижевности) NGO
- 1883: The organization is formed into a political party: Liberal Party (Либерална странка)
- 1904: A left-wing faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Democratic Party (Либерално демократска странка) returning to original liberal ideas, the remainder continues as the National Party (Национална странка) straying far away from liberalism
- 1905: The ⇒ Liberal Democratic Party reunited the National Party into the People's Party (Народна странка) of the liberal center
- 1919: The party merged with the Independent Radical Party and the Serbian Progressive Party (among many others) into the ⇒ Yugoslav Democratic Party
Progressive Party
- 1842: The Constitution-defenders (Уставобранитељи) are organized, first forefathers of the progressives
- 1868: The Young Conservatives are organized, although not yet as a political party
- 1881: The Serbian Progressive Party (Српска напредна странка) is founded with many strong liberal ideas
- 1896: The party dissolved
- 1906: The party is reestablished, fully reformed
- 1914: The conservative faction seceded as the Serbian Conservative Party (Конзервативна странка)
- 1919: The party merged with the People's Party and the Independent Radical Party (along with many others) into the ⇒ Yugoslav Democratic Party
- 1920: The party is reestablished by the remainder that didn't join into the Democrats
- 1925: The party ceased to exist
Radical Party
- 1903: Liberal wing secedes from the People's Radical Party and forms the Independent Radical Party (Самостална радикална странка)
- 1919: The Independent Radical Party merges with the Serbian Progressive Party and the People's Party, along with many other political forces from former Austria-Hungary into the pan-Yugoslav State Party of Serbian, Croatian and Slovene Democrats (Државотворна странка демократа Срба, Хрвата и Словенаца / Državnotvorna stranka demokrata Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca)
From Democrats to Liberals
- 1919: A group of hard-core republicans secedes
- 1920: The republican dissidents form the Republican Democratic Party (Републиканска демократска странка / Republikanska demokratska stranka)
- 1921: Republican Party is renamed as Yugoslavian Republican Party (Југословенска републиканска странка / Jugoslovenska republikanska stranka)
- 1921: The party is formally named as the Yugoslav democratic Party (Југословенска демократска странка / Jugoslovenska demokratska stranka) gaining a statute
- 1924: A faction formed the ⇒ Independent Democratic Party (Самостална демократска странка / Samostalna demokratska stranka)
- 1929: monarchic dictatorship is established and parties are banned
- 1935: preserving structure, the Democrats return into politics with the reintroduction of multi-parliamentarism
- 1945: Parties are again banned, JDS goes into pacifist resistance to Communism
- 1948: JDS is destroyed by Communists, but "Our Word" (Naša reč) emigrant newspaper is organized maintaining Democrats' ideology
- 1963: emigrants reform the party as the Democratic Alternative (Demokratska alternativa) emigrant movement abroad
- 1968: student liberal demonstrations in Belgrade, opposition to Communist dictatorship formed => Committee for the Protection of Human Rights (Комитет за заштиту људских права / Komitet za zaštitu ljudskih prava), considered predecessor of the modern Democratic Party
- 1982: Democratic Alternative ceases to exist
- 1989: Reestablishment of the party declared
- 1990: The party is reorganized as a political party, but just in Serbia
- 1990: "Our Word" stops editing
- 1991: A nationalist group seceded as the Serbian Liberal Party (Српска либерална странка / Srpska liberalna stranka)
- 1992: Right wing seceded as the Democratic Party of Serbia (Демократска странка Србије / Demokratska stranka Srbije)
- 1996: A faction seceded as the Democratic Center (Демократски центар / Demokratski centar)
- 2001: The party changed its ideology to social democracy
- 2004: The ⇒ Democratic Centre returned into the Democratic Party
- 2005: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Democratic Party
- 2007: ⇒ Civic Alliance of Serbia merged into the Liberal Democratic Party
From Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia to Reformist Party
- 1989: The pan-Yugoslav Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia (Savez reformskih snaga Jugoslavije) is founded
- 1991: The party is renamed in Serbia into the Reformist Party (Reformska stranka)
- 1992: The party merged with the Republican Club (Republikanski klub) into the Civic Alliance of Serbia (Građanski savez Srbije)
Civic Alliance of Serbia
- 1992: The ⇒ Reformist Party merged with the Republican Club (Republikanski klub) to form the Civic Alliance of Serbia (Građanski savez Srbije)
- 1996: A left wing faction seceded as the ⇒ Social Democratic Union (Socijaldemokratska unija)
- 2007: The party merged into the ⇒ Liberal Democratic Party