Party which changed Europe - André DeBattista

When the Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands – the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) – was born 75 years ago, few would have imagined the impact this would have on Germany and Europe.

Though many try, it would be hard to imagine the European continent without some form of organisation which tries to foster cooperation among the different countries. In this regard, the role of the CDU cannot be underestimated. Nor can we ignore the principles of Christian Democracy which underpinned much of what the CDU stood for.

These principles have been best articulated by the philosopher Jacques Maritain. Looking at the devastation left behind by World War II, he wrote on the need for “vision and will” to muster the “energies of intellectual and moral reform.” He believed that democracies could only achieve peace “on condition that the Christian inspiration and the democratic inspiration recognise each other and become reconciled.”

In this regard, “No lasting peace will be possible if the regimes in question do not imply approval of the essential bases of common life, respect for human dignity and the rights of the person.”

The roots of Christian Democracy in Germany...