There are many “versions” of democracy, but it is Christian democracy that is focused on taking into account the interests of the whole society and has “safeguards” against authoritarian tendencies.
Christian democracy is an ideological and political platform that aims to integrate Christian principles and democracy, and sees the solution to key contemporary problems in the light of Christian morality and Christian humanism. The ideological basis of Christian democracy is based on the Christian principles of human rights, democracy, and class and social reconciliation. Christian democracy shares the conservative values of individualism, respect for private property, anti-communism, and opposition to excessive state intervention in public affairs. As Professor Udi Greenberg has rightly noted, Christian democracy, born in response to fascism and communism, argued that human “dignity”-a quality defined by God-is best realized through a combination of pluralistic politics and Christian social teaching.
In the context of social upheavals, world wars, and revolutions of the twentieth century, Christian democracy emerged as a political force that could claim to be a constructive alternative to destructive social trends between extremes: between left-wing populism and old bureaucratic conservatism. In the context of the diversity of approaches to understanding democracy, Christian democrats are supporters of the concept of pluralistic democracy. This concept was a compromise between the theories of participatory democracy, which idealizes the possibility of active political participation of all members of society, and elitist democracy, which claims that democracy is not the power of the people, but the ability of the people to choose their rulers.
The pluralist theory of democracy is based on the idea that neither the people nor the individual can be the main driving force of the political process in a democratic state. In practice, with the exception of national liberation movements, the people cannot be the only subject of politics. People always consist of competing interest groups and are very heterogeneous. Hence, it is impossible to achieve any single understanding of the “people’s good”. Therefore, in a situation where each citizen or social group has its own understanding of good, happiness, welfare and ways to achieve them, democracy cannot be effective without group interaction, fair representation and coordination of interests. It is in the group that the interests and value orientations of citizens are formed, and it is only through the group that an individual can express his or her political interests. The purpose of democracy, according to Christian democrats, is primarily to provide all social groups with the opportunity to express and protect their interests.
These interests are expressed through interest groups, such as trade unions, business associations, religious and cultural associations. Instead, the state is seen as a neutral arbiter between competing political groups, whose task is to prevent one group from gaining an advantage over another and to preserve the conditions of free political competition.
Christian democrats do not support the absolutization of individual freedom inherent in liberalism, which leads to polarization of society and political instability. An alternative to this should be pluralistic democracy, based on the consideration of the diversity of social interests. Pluralistic democracy is democracy for all. It ensures a balance of power between class, national, economic, social, and other interest groups that drive politics and are central to a democratic political system. Its main feature is the open nature of political decision-making through representative bodies. Due to the presence of autonomous associations in society, such as Christian communities, the pluralistic model of democracy creates mechanisms that make the government accountable to the people.
For a pluralistic democracy, it is important not only to have ideological pluralism, but also social pluralism, which means taking into account all the interests of social groups. Christian democrats recognize the principles of interdependence and interconnectedness of society, in which the common good can be achieved only through joint efforts, so communities must take into account the interests of other communities. Pluralistic democracy is based on a clear sense of solidarity among different social groups, which implies that politicians are responsible to their voters, communities, and trade unions. However, protecting the interests of one’s community or group must be done with the requirements of the common good in mind. Only under such conditions does a culture of solidarity become a prerequisite for the prosperity of a democratic, social and legal state.
Thanks to the broad representation of the interests of all social groups, the pluralistic model of democracy supported by Christian democrats prevents the government from pursuing policies that harm the interests of citizens for a long time.
Author: Valeriy Maydanyuk