Christian Democratic Union of Germany

Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Abbreviation	CDU
Leader	Friedrich Merz
General Secretary	Carsten Linnemann
Founded	26 June 1945
Newspaper	Union
Youth wing	Young Union
Political orientation	Christian democracy Conservatism Imperialism
National affiliation	CDU/CSU

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) is a bourgeois party in Germany that follows a Christian democratic and conservative policy. It is the largest right wing party in Germany, taking over the role previously held by German Centre Party prior to the Second World War, and currently holds 153 seats in the Bundestag for a total of 197 when combined with the 44 seats of their political ally, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU). The CDU also holds large influence within the imperialist European Union, with the EU's current commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, being a party member.

History

Early history

The CDU was formed from several Christian democratic groups that attempted to form a party after the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945. The resulting party named Konrad Adenauer as its first leader and he played a large role in directing the course of the party under his rule from 1950 to 1966. The CDU was the favoured West German party of the imperialist powers in the post-war period and during this time they allowed the CDU to integrate Germany with the West and rearm itself to assist in western imperialism whilst ardently rejecting all offers of reunification with East Germany.