Christian democratic parties throughout Europe emerged as a fundamentally new phenomenon that required new ideological foundations. This ideology not only reflected public sentiment but also actively changed socio-cultural principles. To a large extent, it was Christian democrats who created a new European political culture. Most of the ideologies of Christian democracy have now become part of European political culture and social life.
The main markers of the ideology of Christian democracy were:
Social market economy. Economic policy should be regulated by the state, not just by the laws of the market. The state should support not only large corporations, but also the middle class and small owners. The redistribution of social resources should be aimed at supporting the most socially vulnerable strata of society. The state should stimulate the disappearance of poverty.
A welfare society. One of the most notable changes associated with Christian democracy was a qualitative leap in the growth of the welfare of all segments of the population. The rise in living standards in European countries eventually led to the emergence of the phenomenon of the “welfare state.”
It is often said that the European economy grew exclusively due to the implementation of the US Marshall Plan. However, history knows many examples when huge economic aid, due to ineffective governance in recipient countries, was not beneficial and sometimes even had the opposite effect.
The significant rise in living standards in European countries was much more complex and was due to several factors. The economic integration of Western European countries created a new large market that fostered business development.
For a long time, the growth of living standards was positively influenced by Keynesianism, which became the dominant theory in the postwar period. Public spending on social items has been steadily increasing, especially in health care and education.
The Keynesian policy exhausted itself only in the second half of the 1970s. It was then that it became clear that overregulation of the economy and high taxes lead to economic stagnation. But for a very long period, European governments managed to keep a “golden mean” between the interests of business development and social guarantees for the general population. It was during the Christian Democrats’ rule that the era of “economic miracles” in Italy and Germany took place.
Interfaith. An important feature of Christian democratic parties was their universalism. On the one hand, this was reflected in the fact that Christian parties were non-denominational entities. If the Christian parties of the prewar period were “niche” forces that represented the interests of one denomination, the postwar Christian democratic parties were either interdenominational or non-denominational forces.
European integration. The universalism of the Christian Democrats allowed the countries of the European continent to begin a process of regional cooperation that gradually led to the creation of the European Union. All the ministers who signed the 1951 agreement establishing the European Coal and Steel Community were representatives of Christian Democratic parties. This community became the basis from which the EU was gradually created. The European Union was founded on the cultural unity of European nations based on Christian values and the need for deeper economic integration.
Global cooperation. The universal nature of Christianity led Christian democrats to create global ideological associations. In 1961, the World Christian Democratic Union was established on the initiative of Christian Democrats in Europe. Within the framework of this association, a concept of assistance to developing countries was developed – “developmental subsidiarity”. This concept stipulates that financial assistance to other countries should be directed to modernization and stimulation of economic growth. In 1999, the World Christian Democratic Union was renamed the Centrist Democratic International.
Subsidiarity. One of the basic principles of Christian democracy is subsidiarity. The state should take any centralized measures only if they are more effective than the corresponding measures at the local or regional levels.
Limiting the powers of the executive branch. Christian democracy brought a new vision of political processes. Realizing that totalitarian movements in Italy and Germany came to power not only through street violence but also through parliamentary procedures, Christian democratic governments introduced a number of significant legal innovations. In particular, most European countries introduced the institution of a constitutional court. This institution was supposed to limit the powers of the executive branch of government.
Countering extremism. A legal innovation related to the activities of the Christian Democrats was the legislative consolidation of the procedure for banning extremist parties. If in the pre-war period the ban of certain parties was arbitrary, now such a ban is possible only through compliance with a clear legal procedure. In many countries, such as Germany, such a ban is the prerogative of the Constitutional Court.
Protection of human rights. To protect citizens from unlawful decisions within the country, supranational judicial institutions for the protection of human rights and freedoms were created on the initiative of Christian democrats. This is how the European Commission of Human Rights was established in 1954 and the European Court of Human Rights in 1959.
Enshrining the rights of the opposition. In contrast to totalitarian practices, Christian democrats abandoned their attempts to secure a monopoly on power for one party. The full rights of the opposition in postwar Europe were not only declared, but for the first time in world history were enshrined in law.
Author: Konstantin Kanishev
