Social–liberal coalition


Social–liberal coalition in the politics of Germany refers to a governmental coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Free Democratic Party.

From 1969 to 1982, social–liberal coalitions led by Federal Chancellors Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt governed the Federal Republic of Germany:
First and second Brandt cabinet, first and second Schmidt cabinet.
The term stems from social democracy of the SPD and the liberalism of the FDP. Because of the colours traditionally used to symbolise the two parties, such a coalition is also referred to as a "red–yellow" coalition. The FDP is basically an economic/classical liberal party, but under the coalition, the FDP and the SPD are close to left-liberalism.
In the past, the SPD usually governs with the Alliance '90/The Greens and the FDP orients itself towards long-term co-operation with the Christian Democratic Union and Bavarian Christian Social Union. However, a social–liberal coalition ruled from 1991 to 2006 in the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate and would have continued to do so, had the SPD not won an absolute majority.
Social–liberal coalitions have previously been in power in many other federal states of Germany as well.
As of 2025, social–liberal coalitions have become rare, as the FDP missed the Five percent hurdle in many elections, i.e.
The traffic light coalition was a combination of the social–liberal coalition and the red–green coalition insofar as it included SPD, FDP and the greens, which are the constituent elements of the other two coalitions.
The Weimar Coalition was a similar constellation of parties as it included the Social Democratic Party as well as a left-liberal party and the liberal-conservative/conservative-liberal element also present in the FDP with the Zentrumspartei. However, the political Catholicism espoused by the Zentrum is absent in the postwar social–liberal coalition.

Social–liberal coalitions at the federal state level

After the term, the leader of the government is given.

Berlin

Bremen

Hamburg

Hesse

Lower Saxony

North Rhine-Westphalia

Rhineland-Palatinate