What is Christian Democracy?
Christian democracy is a political tradition found mainly in Europe and Latin America. It takes ideas from Christian social teaching, especially Catholic, and applies them inside a democratic system. It does not call for rule by the church. It asks that politics respect human dignity, the family and the many groups between the person and the state. In economics it sits between pure free markets and socialism. Its parties have often been the large center-right force in their countries, but with a stronger commitment to welfare than many conservatives.
Core beliefs
- Every person has a dignity that comes from God, and the state exists to serve people.
- Decisions should be made at the lowest level able to handle them, a principle called subsidiarity.
- Families, churches, unions and local groups are the building blocks of society.
- Markets are useful, but they must be bound by moral limits and a duty to the poor.
- Employers and workers should cooperate rather than fight each other.
- Nations should work together, and European unity is a way to keep the peace.
History
The roots lie in the 1800s, when Catholics in Europe built parties and unions to answer industrial poverty and secular liberalism. Pope Leo XIII's letter Rerum Novarum in 1891 set out Catholic views on labor and property. In the Netherlands, the Calvinist Abraham Kuyper led a parallel movement and served as prime minister early in the 1900s. Italian priest Luigi Sturzo founded a Catholic party in 1919. The tradition peaked after 1945. Three of its leaders were Konrad Adenauer (West Germany), Alcide De Gasperi (Italy) and Robert Schuman (France). Together they helped found what became the European Union. Chile's Eduardo Frei Montalva brought it to Latin America in the 1960s.
Variants
Catholic and Protestant versions differ in tone. German Christian democrats built the social market economy, with competition plus a safety net. Italy's party, which governed for decades, was a broad coalition of the center. Dutch and Scandinavian Christian parties are often smaller and more focused on moral issues. Some parties have dropped the Christian label in public while keeping the tradition. In Latin America some parties leaned further left on land and labor.
Criticisms
Secular critics say the tradition brings religious ideas into laws on family, schooling and life issues. Economic liberals say it favors high taxes and a heavy welfare state. Socialists say it protects the interests of employers behind talk of partnership. Some analysts argue that as church attendance has fallen, the parties lost their distinct identity and now differ little from other center-right groups. Italy's governing party collapsed in the early 1990s amid corruption scandals.
In practice
Christian democratic parties have led governments across Europe, including Germany for much of the postwar period. Their policies include generous family support, health insurance, collective bargaining and strong ties with the European Union. On the 12 axes the tradition scores strongly toward Religious on Religion and toward Traditional on Morality, but it leans Shared on Welfare and Planned on Markets. This mix is why it is hard to place on a simple left-right line.