 this article gives an overview of liberalism in the netherlands. it is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. ==background== liberalism has always been an important current in dutch politics since the dutch republic. between mid-19th century to the late-1800 they were a dominant force in shaping the dutch parliamentary democratic rechtsstaat. in the early 20th century the liberals split between progressive liberals and conservative liberals. due to their political division and the introduction of universal suffrage the liberals disappeared from the political stage. after the second world war the liberals were united again under one roof, the vvd, but the party remained small. it entered some administration coalitions as a junior party. a progressive liberal party, d'66 was founded in 1966. since the 1970s however liberalism has been on the rise again electorally. since 1977 the largest, more conservative, liberal party, vvd has been in government for twenty two years. in early 21st century the vvd saw major splits over the issue of integration and migration. in 2010, they won the national elections for the first time in its history. === before 1918 === the netherlands has a long liberal political tradition. from the founding of the dutch republic in the 16th century to beginning of the 19th century the main political conflict was between the liberal urban patriciate and the supporters of the house of orange, from the lower class and orthodox variants of protestantism.andeweg, r.b. and g.a. irwin (2002) governance and politics of the netherlands basingstoke: macmillan, p.47 the urban patriciate favoured religious tolerance. in the early years of the kingdom of the netherlands (1814â1848) the (conservative) monarchists were in control. in 1848, while revolutions swept through europe, the balance of power shifted in favour of the liberals. in order to prevent revolution in the netherlands, king william ii of the netherlands asked the leiden professor of law, johan rudolf thorbecke, a liberal, to draft a new constitution. the new constitution limited the power of the king by introducing ministerial responsibility and by giving parliament the right to amend laws and hold investigative hearings. it also extended the census suffrage and codified civil rights, such as the freedom of assembly, the privacy of correspondence, freedom of ecclesiastical organisation and the freedom of education. in october 1848 the constitution was adopted and in 1849 thorbecke became prime minister of the netherlands. from that moment on 
Dutch_Golden_Age Liberalism_by_country Political_history_of_the_Netherlands