Free Democratic Party

The Free Democratic Party is a liberal political party in Germany. The FDP was founded in 1948 by members of former liberal political parties in Germany before World War II, namely the German Democratic Party and the German People's Party. For most of the second half of the 20th century, when West Germany was a two-party country, the FDP as third party determined the balance of power in the Bundestag. It has been a junior coalition partner to both the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party.