CDU

Überblick

	moderately conservative-liberal people’s party; after World War II, founded regionally
	1950, in Goslar, merger into a Federal Party
	the political program of the CDU at first is a combination of Christian, socialist, and market economic elements (the Ahlen Program 1947); a decisive orientation toward the social market economy in the “guiding principles of Düsseldorf” (1949)
	The first basic program is passed in 1978, afterwards the CDU turns to “all persons in all sectors and groups” and commits itself to a “Christian understanding of all persons” and to the support of freedom, solidarity, and justice, of the social market economy, and of stable social life styles (marriage and family).
	The merger of the West CDU and the East CDU after the collapse of the DDR is accomplished in 1990.
	The CDU has supplied four Federal Chancellors (Konrad Adenauer, Ludwig Erhard, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, and Helmut Kohl).

Struktur
Number of Party members: about 650,000 (1996)