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The '''Christian Democratic Union of Germany''' (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands, CDU) is a political party in [[Germany]].

The '''Christian Democratic Union of Germany''' (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands, CDU) is a political party in [[Germany]]. It is a middle-conservative party, and currently shares power in a grand coalition with its major opposition, the Social Democrats, or [[SPD]]. 

==History==

==History==

The party was founded in post-war Germany by centrist and conservative Christian politicians who wanted to overcome the divisions among democratic Christians politicians in pre-war Germany, which was perceived as one of the reasons of the deadlock in politics during the [[Weimar Republic]]. Leading figures in the post-war era were [[Konrad Adenauer]] and [[Ludwig Erhard]]. Adenauer  became the first Chancellor in West Germany, and who was seeking firm military and economic integration of West Germany with western Europe and the US. Ludwig Erhard was the first Minister of Economy, renowned for his advocacy and implementation of [[social market economy]], and is considered the father of the German [[Wirtschaftswunder]], the economic boom in the 50s and 60s. These two political concepts, social market economy and integration in the West, have become the two main ideological pillars of the Christian Democratic Union.

The party was founded in post-war Germany by centrist and conservative Christian politicians who wanted to overcome the divisions among democratic Christians politicians in pre-war Germany, which was perceived as one of the reasons of the deadlock in politics during the [[Weimar Republic]]. Before 1934 Germany was about 1/3 Catholic. West Germany was now about evenly split between Catholics and Protestants. The CDU (and its sister party the CSU in Bavaria) regularly won about 60% of the catholic vote, and 35-40% of the Protestants. To control a majority in the Bundestag (national parliament) it formed coalitions usually with the small Free Democrats (FDP), a conservative/libertarian party favired by big business and professionals.

 

Leading figures in the post-war era were [[Konrad Adenauer]] and [[Ludwig Erhard]]. Adenauer  became the first Chancellor in West Germany, and who was seeking firm military and economic integration of West Germany with western Europe and the US. Ludwig Erhard was the first Minister of Economy, renowned for his advocacy and implementation of [[social market economy]], and is considered the father of the German [[Wirtschaftswunder]], the economic boom in the 50s and 60s. These two political concepts, social market economy and integration in the West, have become the two main ideological pillars of the Christian Democratic Union.

==Party Structure==

==Party Structure==