Liberal Party (UK)

Liberal Party (UK)

The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was the third largest political party throughout the latter half of the 20th century. The party moved towards social liberalism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and came to be seen as being on the centre-left of British politics.

It grew out of the Whig Party in 1859, and William Gladstone carried the party through governments in the late 19th century. The party split over the issue of Irish Home Rule, but returned to power in 1906 through a landslide victory. During this time in government, the Liberals are credited with the so-called Liberal Reforms, which saw the creation of a basic welfare state. During World War I, the Liberals governed Britain through a coalition with the Conservatives, which ended in 1922. In the 1920s, the Labour Party permanently replaced the Liberals as the largest opponent of the Conservative Party in British politics, and the Liberals went into decline, which culminated in their winning as few as 6 seats at general elections during the 1950s. A comeback of sorts was seen during the 1960s and 1970s, but it was not until 1981, when the Liberals allied with the newly formed SDP to form the SDP-Liberal Alliance, that the party enjoyed significant electoral success. In the 1983 general election, the alliance took 25% of the popular vote, but this only translated into 23 seats (out of a total of 650). During 1988, the Liberals formally merged with the SDP to form the Liberal Democrats, though a small splinter Liberal Party was formed in 1989 by former members opposed to the merger.