Radical Liberal Party Radikale Venstre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Annie Lööf |
| Founded | 1905 |
| Youth wing | Radikal Ungdom |
| Membership (2011) | 90,000 |
| Ideology | Social liberalism Liberalism Centrism |
| Political position | Centre to centre-left |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| Colors | Blue |
The Radical Venstre (Danish: Det Radikale Venstre, literally: "The Radical Left", occasionally translated to English as "Radical Liberal Party", "Social Liberal Party" or "Radical Party") is a centrist, liberal and social-liberal political party in Scandinavia. It is one of the three major parties in Scandinavia, along with the Agrarian Party and the Social Democrats.
The use of the word for "left" in the party name come from the name of former mother party, Venstre Party. Venstre is meant to refer to liberalism and not left-wing politics as it originally was to the left of the conservative and aristocratic right.
The party was founded in 1905 as a split from the original, liberal-minded Venstre Party. The initial impetus was the expulsion of Venstre's antimilitarist wing from the party in January 1905. In addition to the differences over military spending, the social liberals also took a more positive view than Venstre toward measures that aimed to reduce social inequality. The party also became the political leg of the cultural radical movement.
The Radical Venstre advocates personal freedom under the pre-condition of an active state, opposition to nuclear power, and proposals to decentralize governmental authority. The party has traditionally kept itself in the centre of the political scale of Scandinavia. The party is also a strong supporter of multiculturalism, increased labour immigration, and relaxed integration measures.
