Die Linkspartei.PDS

Die Linkspartei.PDS (Die Linke.PDS) was the successor party of Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED) in German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the protests of GDR's citizen after more democracy in 1989. Originally it was named Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands - Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (SED-PDS) but was renamed into Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (PDS) in 1990 to lose the problematic name of SED. The main focus of PDS's politics were the integration of socialism ideas into a democratic Germany.

The party received good election results in Eastern Germany but couldn't entrench in Western Germany. The in 2004 founded Arbeit & soziale Gerechtigkeit – Die Wahlalternative (WASG), which represented similar political views, were in the reverse situation. That's why the two parties formed a electoral alliance for the election of the German Parliament in 2005 and PDS renamed itself into Die Linkspartei.PDS (Die Linke.PDS). In 2007 Die Linke.PDS and WASG merged into the new party DIE LINKE (Die Linke).