Christian Democratic Union of Germany

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) is a German political party founded in 1945. It combines Christian democracy and conservatism with support for a social market economy.

Christian democracy: A political tradition that applies Christian ethical ideas to democratic government, social policy, and economic life. It supplies the CDU’s central political tradition while allowing diverse religious and secular supporters.
Postwar Germany: Germany’s political and social order after the Second World War, shaped by occupation, reconstruction, and division. The CDU emerged amid efforts to rebuild democratic institutions after Nazi rule.
Angela Merkel: A German politician who served as chancellor from 2005 to 2021 and led the CDU from 2000 to 2018. Merkel’s long leadership reshaped the party’s public profile and electoral coalition.
Social Democratic Party of Germany: A German center-left political party with roots in the labor movement and social democracy. The CDU’s principal rival differs over labor relations, redistribution, and the role of the state.
Social market economy: An economic model combining competitive markets with social protections and public regulation. The CDU made this model a defining alternative to both laissez-faire economics and socialism.
Konrad Adenauer: A German statesman who served as the Federal Republic’s first chancellor from 1949 to 1963. As the CDU’s first dominant leader, Adenauer anchored its early government and Western alignment.
Helmut Kohl: A German politician who served as chancellor from 1982 to 1998 and led German reunification. Kohl’s chancellorship tied the CDU to reunification and European integration.
Alternative for Germany: A German right-wing populist party founded in 2013, known for nationalist and anti-immigration positions. Competition with the AfD has intensified disputes over the CDU’s boundaries and conservative identity.
Federalism in Germany: Germany’s division of governing authority between the federal government and its constituent states. The CDU’s state branches shape party leadership and influence national policy through the Bundesrat.
Ludwig Erhard: A German economist and politician who served as chancellor from 1963 to 1966 and promoted the social market economy. His economic program became closely associated with the CDU’s postwar identity.

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