List of political parties in Germany Facts for Kids

Germany is a country where many different political parties exist. This is called a plural multi-party system. Imagine a big team where many smaller teams work together! In Germany, these parties work together to form the government.

Historically, the biggest parties have been the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), along with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Other important parties include the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Alliance 90/The Greens, The Left, and more recently, the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Often, the German government is formed by a coalition, which means two or more parties agree to work together. For example, the CDU/CSU might team up with the FDP, or the SPD might team up with the FDP or the Greens. Sometimes, the two largest parties, the CDU/CSU and SPD, form a "grand coalition" to govern together.

Parties in Germany are often known by their special colors. The Social Democratic Party is red, the Greens are green, the Free Democratic Party is yellow, The Left is purple (or red), the AfD is light blue, and the CDU and CSU are black and blue.

Germany's Main Political Parties
Germany's Political History
- Parties from the Past
Images for kids
See also

Germany's Main Political Parties

Party membership in Germany (since 1945; East German parties joined in 1990)

Germany has many political parties, but some are more important because they have members in the Bundestag (Germany's parliament) or the European Parliament.

Parties in the German Parliament (Bundestag)

These are the main parties that help make laws for Germany.

Abbreviation	Main Idea	Leader(s)	Members
Christian Democratic Union of Germany	CDU	Christian ideas, traditional values	Friedrich Merz	363,100
Christian Social Union in Bavaria	CSU	Christian ideas, traditional values (mostly in Bavaria)	Markus Söder	131,000
Alternative for Germany	AfD	Focus on national interests, less European cooperation	Tino Chrupalla, Alice Weidel	46,881
Social Democratic Party of Germany	SPD	Fairness for everyone, social support	Lars Klingbeil, Saskia Esken	365,190
Alliance 90/The Greens	GRÜNE	Protecting the environment, social justice	Felix Banaszak, Franziska Brantner	166,000
The Left	LINKE	More equality, helping the poor	Jan van Aken, Ines Schwerdtner	102,412
South Schleswig Voters' Association	SSW	Supports Danish and Frisian minorities	Christian Dirschauer	3,216

Parties in the European Parliament

These parties have members who represent Germany in the European Parliament, which makes laws for all of Europe.

Abbreviation	Main Idea	Leader(s)	Members
Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance	BSW	Focus on social justice and traditional values	Sahra Wagenknecht, Amira Mohamed Ali	1,200
Free Democratic Party	FDP	Freedom for individuals, strong economy	-	70,000
Free Voters	FW	Local issues, less government control	Hubert Aiwanger	6,225
Volt Germany	Volt	Stronger European cooperation	Lara Neumann, Tim Marton	4,000
Die PARTEI	Die PARTEI	Political humor and satire	Martin Sonneborn	51,078
Ecological Democratic Party	ÖDP	Protecting the environment, traditional values	Christian Rechholz	8,035
Party of Progress	PdF	Modern ideas, European cooperation	Lukas Sieper	302
Family Party of Germany	Familie	Supporting families and Christian values	Helmut Geuking	705
Human Environment Animal Protection Party	Tierschutzpartei	Animal rights, environmental protection	Aida Spiegeler Castaneda Marcel Krohn Robert Gabel	2,400

Other Smaller Parties

Germany has many other smaller parties that might not be in the main parliament or European Parliament, but they still work to represent different ideas and groups of people. Some of these parties focus on specific issues, like animal rights, direct democracy, or regional interests.

Germany's Political History

Germany's political landscape has changed a lot over time. After World War II, Germany was divided into West and East Germany, and each had its own political parties. When Germany became one country again in 1990, many parties from East Germany joined with parties in West Germany.

Parties from the Past

Many political parties have existed in Germany's history that are no longer active today. Some of these parties were important during different periods, like the Weimar Republic (before World War II) or when Germany was divided. They represented different ideas and helped shape the country's past.