Christian Democratic Union of Germany

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Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Logo of the CDU
2019-11-22 Friedrich Merz CDU party conference by OlafKosinsky MG 5774.jpg
party leader Friedrich Merz
general secretary Mario Czaja
vice-chairman Silvia Breher
Andreas Jung
Michael Kretschmer
Carsten Linnemann
Karin Prien
Federal Managing Director Stefan Hennewig
Federal Treasurer Julia Kloeckner
Honorary President Jakob Kaiser (†)
Konrad Adenauer (†)
Ludwig Erhard (†)
Kurt Georg Kiesinger (†)
Helmut Kohl (†)
(waiver on January 17, 2000)
founding June 26, 1945 and
October 20 to 22, 1950
(1st Federal Party Congress)
place of incorporation Berlin and Rhineland or Goslar
Headquarters Konrad-Adenauer-Haus
Klingelhöferstraße 8
10785 Berlin
youth organization Young Union
Party-affiliated foundation Konrad Adenauer Foundation
alignment Christian democracy
Conservatism
Economic liberalism
Pro-Europeanism
Social market economy
Federalism
Colours) red (party logo)
black ( union color )
Bundestag seats
152/736
seats in state legislatures
486/1884
Government grants 53,726,367.31 euros (2020)
number of members 384,204 (as of December 2021)
minimum age 16 years
average age 60.8 years
(as of December 2021)
proportion of women 26.6 percent
(as of December 2021)
International connections Centrist Democratic International (CDI-IDC) and
International Democratic Union (IDU)
MEPs
23/96
European party European People's Party (EPP)
EP Group European People's Party (EPP)
site www.cdu.de
Development of membership numbers

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ( CDU ) is a Christian Democratic , conservative and economically liberal party founded between 1945 and 1950 in Germany . She is located in the middle-right of the political spectrum .

In association with its sister party , the Christian Social Union (CSU), the second-largest German party in terms of members (as of 2021) is also referred to as " Union ". The CDU stands in elections in all federal states with the exception of Bavaria , and the CSU in turn only there. Both parties form a parliamentary group in the Bundestag , the CDU/CSU parliamentary group .

The CDU was founded immediately after the Second World War in 1945 and in a second attempt at the first federal party conference in 1950 as a non-denominational Christian party. This set it apart from the Catholic Center Party , which had embodied Christian Democratic values ​​throughout the Weimar Republic . The ideological roots of the CDU are Catholic social teaching , conservatism and ordoliberalism .

At the federal level, the Union as a whole has been in government for longer than any other German party since the founding of the Federal Republic . For the longest time, the CDU formed a black-yellow coalition alongside the CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) . Most recently, the CDU provided Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2005 to 2021 . In the 2021 federal elections , it came in second behind the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). With the swearing-in of the SPD-led federal government ( Scholz ) in December 2021, the CDU is back in the role of an opposition party after 16 years of government responsibility . As before in the years 1969-1982 and 1998-2005, the Union parties are again leading the parliamentary opposition.

The CDU is also represented in the state parliament in all federal states in which it is running . It currently participates in the respective state governments in nine countries and provides the prime ministers in six .

Alongside the SPD on the left , the conservative CDU is considered to be one of the two major popular parties in post-war history. In the increasingly fragmented party landscape of the Berlin Republic , this position is sometimes called into question.

profile

The Konrad Adenauer House in Berlin

tradition

Since it was founded, the CDU has been open to people of all Christian denominations as well as non-Christians. The fact that the CDU expressly describes itself as Christian is based on the party's decision to expressly declare itself committed to the Christian image of man. When the party was founded in 1945, overcoming the political differences between Catholics and Protestants was also a main reason for including the adjective "Christian" in the party name. The CDU is often mentioned as a successor to the Catholic-oriented Center Party . It sees itself as a center party with an offer for the entire population.

"According to the Christian understanding, man, nature and the environment are God's creation," says the CDU basic program from 2007 . God created man in his image , from which the dignity of man as a good worth protecting is derived. The natural environment is seen as a creation that man is not free to dispose of, but has been entrusted to him by God to preserve.

The CDU advocates anchoring the reference to God in the charter of the European Union, for the preservation of Christian symbols in public space and the retention of Christian holidays.

The political statements of the two major churches reveal similarities (e.g. in relation to social policy oriented towards Christian social teaching or the rejection of euthanasia ) as well as differences to them, e.g. in their attitude towards biotechnology , in particular genome research, or in questions of the right of asylum .

policy programs

The following policy programs have been adopted by the CDU in the past:

The CDU has been working on a new policy program since autumn 2018.

Election poster for the 1949 federal election

programmatic

Basic orientation

Ever since it was founded, the CDU has invoked a Christian image of man . According to the Neheim-Hüstener program of 1946, the "high Christian conception of human dignity, of the value of each individual human being as the basis and guideline (...) in political, economic and cultural life" should apply, which is reflected, among other things, in the "right to political and religious freedom", in "legal security for everyone", in the free activity of women and in the protection of minorities. According to the preamble to the basic program of 2007 , the CDU orients itself "to the Christian image of man and his inviolable dignity and, based on this, to the basic values ​​of freedom, solidarity and justice".

economic policy

Commemorative Medal Ludwig Erhard – The Social Market Economy

The CDU is committed to the social market economy and sees this as a guarantee for freedom, prosperity and security in the future. In the course of globalization, it is striving for an international expansion of the social market economy, whereby the economic freedom gained should serve people. Overall, the CDU is intent on an "economically reasonable and socially just" policy.

Furthermore, the CDU sees the social market economy as a social model that is directly linked to a "free democracy". According to their principle, freedom and responsibility as well as competition and solidarity formed a unit that made the economic and social model social and ensured social justice . The strength of the social market economy is based on "more freedom and competition". The CDU trusts in the "positive creative power of free markets and fair competition".

The aim of economic policy is full employment for the population, steady and appropriate economic growth and a solid budget. Furthermore, the CDU is striving for the privatization of all business operations that are currently still state-owned. In terms of labor policy, the CDU relies on “making the labor market more flexible” and on collective bargaining autonomy . Unemployment should be counteracted.

According to the CDU, the level of public debt must be resolutely reduced, with "today's debt [...] tomorrow's taxes". Public investments should only be “financed through loans that create values ​​or assets”.

family policy

The CDU introduced the child-raising allowance or parental allowance to support families. Furthermore, a legal entitlement to a place in a day care center has been introduced since 1996 and a place in a crèche since 2013 under the respective CDU governments. The government plans to further strengthen the expansion of kindergarten places by 2021. No specific family model is prescribed for families.

During the 18th Bundestag, about a third of the CDU/CSU MPs voted in favor of same-sex marriage after Chancellor Merkel described the vote as a question of conscience without party pressure. The vote was then scheduled at short notice in the last week of the legislative period by the other parliamentary groups against the will of the Union faction. In previous years, the majority of the party had not proactively pushed for equality for homosexual partnerships, for example with regard to tax law; Progressive laws generally came about as a result of compromises with coalition partners who were more liberal in this respect, or under the pressure of some rulings from the highest courts.

education policy

The CDU stuck to the tripartite school system longer than other parties . She only openly said goodbye to it in 2011.

Tuition fees were advocated from 2008 to 2013 .

internal security

In the 2017 election campaign, the CDU campaigned for more police officers and stronger security for the EU's external borders. According to the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, a deployment of the Bundeswehr in Germany should be approved in the event of "a particularly serious terrorist situation [...] under the leadership of the police". The CDU votes against a labeling requirement for the federal police on the grounds that they want to protect police officers and sees the labeling requirement as an insinuation of law violations by officials.

network policy

In the area of network policy , the CDU advocates stricter regulation and monitoring of the Internet and advocates data retention , which it has called the "minimum storage period" since July 2013. She also advocates blocking of internet content and online searches .

As part of the group of the European People's Party (EPP), the CDU played a key role in the drafting of EU Directive 2019/790 on the reform of copyright in the digital single market.

immigration policy

With regard to policy on foreigners, the CDU expects migrants to make greater efforts to achieve greater integration, supports the promotion of the German language among immigrants and advocates a controlled immigration policy . A holistic immigration law with a points system is a frequent topic of discussion in the party. Dual citizenship is only advocated in exceptional cases. In 1998/1999 the CDU, together with the CSU, organized a signature campaign against dual citizenship . The Union supports the expulsion of criminal aliens.

Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama at the state reception in Baden-Baden, April 3, 2009

foreign policy

Angela Merkel and former President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso in front of the Brandenburg Gate

In terms of foreign policy, she is primarily striving for an intact relationship with the USA . Around the time of the Iraq war , she often accused the then red-green federal government of anti-Americanism . According to former chancellor candidate Edmund Stoiber (CSU), an "ominous axis" Paris-Berlin-Moscow-Beijing could never replace integration into the western alliance. Rather, Germany needs the USA as a guarantor of peace and freedom in the world. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group also stated that they would always stand in solidarity with Israel .

European policy

The CDU sees itself as “the” European party. This claim is based on the European policy of Konrad Adenauer and subsequent chancellors of the party, as well as a tradition that programmatically aimed at a European federal state and the unification of the Christian West . With the introduction of the regulation of the internal market and German reunification, however, the idea of ​​a federal state increasingly receded into the background.

Former Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl still plays a special role in the European policy orientation of the CDU . He is described within the party (but also across party and national borders) as a convinced European, since European integration was promoted during his chancellorship, for example through the conclusion of treaties on the euro , on the internal market or on Schengen .

In the wake of the euro crisis , the CDU repositioned itself on European integration, but less critically than its Bavarian sister party, the CSU. MEPs from the party are committed to the further development of the European Union into a European confederation. From 2009, the CDU-led federal government under Angela Merkel relied more heavily on intergovernmental regulations, for example within the framework of the Euro Plus Pact or the emphasis on a " union method ". On the other hand, at its Leipzig party conference in Berlin in 2011, the CDU decided on a position that propagated the community method and called for a political union based on federal principles.

She thinks full EU membership for Turkey is wrong. Instead, the party advocates a privileged partnership . Above all, she argues that Turkey frequently violates human rights and that the Turkish government still denies the 1915 genocide of the Armenians . Furthermore, Turkey must recognize Cyprus as a sovereign state, since it is a basic requirement that the members of the EU recognize each other. The CDU complains that the question of whether Turkey will join the EU could become an automatism if Turkey were offered EU accession negotiations at this point in time.

climate and environmental policy

The CDU's federal election program states that greenhouse gas neutrality should be implemented as binding by 2045. Concrete CO 2 prices are not mentioned.

party politics

coalitions

The preferred coalition partner at federal level has usually been the FDP , since the CDU sees the most common ground with it, especially in economic and tax policy. Above all, there are different views on the question of civil rights ; In particular, the expansion of video surveillance, which was advocated by the CDU but vehemently rejected by the FDP, and the longer-term storage of connection data should be mentioned in this context. If there was no possibility of a black-yellow coalition , a black-red coalition was formed with the SPD for a limited period of time .

At the state level , alongside the SPD, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen are currently the most common coalition partner of the CDU – in five states each. A black-green coalition governed for the first time in Hamburg from May 2008 to November 2010 . Hesse has been governed jointly by the CDU and the Greens since January 2014 , while the CDU in Baden-Württemberg has been a “junior partner” of the Greens since 2016. A so-called Jamaica coalition , together with the Greens and FDP, first existed in Saarland from November 2009 to January 2012 , and has existed in Schleswig-Holstein since 2017 . A so-called Kenya coalition , with SPD and Greens, governs under the leadership of the CDU in Saxony , from 2016 to 2021 also in Saxony-Anhalt , and under the leadership of the SPD in Brandenburg . In addition, there is a red-black coalition ( Lower Saxony ), a black-red coalition (Saarland) and a black-yellow coalition ( North Rhine-Westphalia ) at state level. At municipal level, there have been coalitions with the Greens in recent years, especially in large cities such as Cologne , Frankfurt am Main , Kiel and Saarbrücken .

relationship with the CSU

Angela Merkel between the CSU politicians Ramsauer (left) and zu Guttenberg , 2008

After the Second World War, the CDU and CSU emerged as collective movements based on the model of the Christian image of man. Initially, groups came together in a decentralized manner – the focus was on Cologne, Berlin and Munich; hence the term "union" and not "party". It was not until 1950, i.e. after Konrad Adenauer was elected the first Federal Chancellor, that the CDU met for its first federal party conference. The Union in Bavaria left it with its commitment at the state level, but made it clear early on that the CSU wanted to be a party with a national political connection and form a unit with the CDU at the federal level. The two Union parties form a common parliamentary group .

However, the relationship between the CDU and CSU was not always unproblematic. In the past, there were sometimes violent arguments, which culminated in the Kreuther separation decision , which was ultimately not implemented .

There are sometimes strong differences of opinion between the two parties and rarely hostilities, most recently in the context of the political debate on the refugee crisis in Germany from 2015 , where the CDU chairwoman Angela Merkel coined the phrase "We can do it", the CSU chairman Horst Instead, Seehofer demanded that the CDU agree to an upper limit for refugees. In 2016, for the first time in years, Angela Merkel did not take part in the CSU party conference as a speaker in her capacity as CDU leader.

quota for women

On July 8, 2020, the structure and statute commission of the CDU agreed on a proposal for a quota for women in party offices and candidates. From 2021, this quota model gradually prescribes a minimum proportion of women on board committees from district level upwards. Initially, a 30 percent quota should apply, from 2023 40 percent and from 2025 50 percent. According to a survey by the EAF Berlin , the majority of female CDU members reject a women's quota.

divisions and factions

levels

Representation of the CDU in the state parliaments (2021)
  • not represented
  • represented as an opposition party
  • as a minor coalition partner in the government
  • as a major coalition partner in the government and provides the head of government

    • The CDU Germany is divided into 17 state associations, 27 district associations, 327 district associations and over 10,000 local associations. It is organized in state associations in all German states with the exception of Bavaria . For historical reasons, Lower Saxony has three regional associations in Hanover, Braunschweig and Oldenburg; together they form the regional association of the CDU in Lower Saxony .

    state associations

    The CDU is represented in parliamentary groups in all the state parliaments for which it is a candidate . It currently provides six out of sixteen prime ministers , in Bavaria the sister party CSU governs . The CDU is also involved in Baden-Württemberg as a smaller coalition partner of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen , in Lower Saxony as a junior partner of the SPD and in a Kenya coalition in other state governments.

    national association Chairman
    (as of October 23, 2021)     		Members
    (as of December 31, 2018)     		Members per inhabitant aged 16 and over (as of December 31, 2017) Results of the 2021 general election Last election result state parliament CDU Prime Minister
    Baden-Wuerttemberg Baden-Wuerttemberg Thomas Strobl 61,470 0.68% 24.8% 24.1% ( 2021 ) no
    Berlin Berlin Kai Wegner 12,239 0.40% 15.9% 18.1% ( 2021 ) no
    Brandenburg Brandenburg Michael Stubgen 5,806 0.27% 15.3% 15.6% ( 2019 ) no
    Brunswick Brunswick Frank Oesterhelweg 5,283
    (as of 2014)     		0.63%
    (as of 2011)     		(compare Hanover) (compare Hanover) (compare Hanover)
    Bremen Bremen Carsten Meyer-Heder 2,170 0.38% 17.2% 26.7% ( 2019 ) no
    Hamburg Hamburg Christopher Ploss 6,666 0.44% 15.5% 11.2% ( 2020 ) no
    Hanover Hanover
    		 Maria Flachsbarth 45,957
    (as of 2014)     		0.75%
    (as of 2011)     		24.2%
    (all of Lower Saxony)     		33.6% ( 2017 )
    (all of Lower Saxony)     		no
    Hesse Hesse Volker Bouffier 37,000 0.71% 22.8% 27.0% ( 2018 ) Volker Bouffier ( Cabinet Bouffier III ), since 2010
    Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Eckhardt Rehberg 5.105 0.37% 17.4% 13.3% ( 2021 ) no
    North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wust 124,567 0.84% 26.0% 33.0% ( 2017 ) Hendrik Wüst ( Cabinet Wüst ), since 2021
    Oldenburg Oldenburg Silvia Breher 11,749
    (as of 2014)     		1.21%
    (as of 2011)     		(compare Hanover) (compare Hanover) (compare Hanover)
    Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate Julia Kloeckner 38,977 1.14% 24.7% 27.7% ( 2021 ) no
    Saarland Saarland Tobias Hans 16,236 1.91% 23.6% 40.7% ( 2017 ) Tobias Hans ( Cabinet Hans ), since 2018
    Saxony Saxony Michael Kretschmer 10,444 0.30% 17.2% 32.1% ( 2019 ) Michael Kretschmer ( Cabinet Kretschmer II ), since 2017
    Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt Sven Schulze 6,585 0.35% 21.0% 37.1% ( 2021 ) Reiner Haseloff ( Haseloff III cabinet ), since 2011
    Schleswig Holstein Schleswig Holstein Daniel Gunther 19,494 0.79% 22.0% 32.0% ( 2017 ) Daniel Günther ( Cabinet Günther ), since 2017
    Thuringia Thuringia Christian Shepherd 9,481 0.52% 16.9% 21.7% ( 2019 ) no

    parliamentary group and federal government

    In the German Bundestag , the CDU and CSU work together in a common faction , the CDU/CSU parliamentary group . Although parliamentary groups are not part of parties (but the principle of political division for the work of Parliament), they also have a “correlate function” in relation to them.

    The CDU/CSU parliamentary group currently has 197 members, 152 of them from the CDU. This makes it the second-largest parliamentary group in the Bundestag and the CDU the second-largest party represented. Group leader is Ralph Brinkhaus , who, like all his predecessors, is a CDU member. In return, the CSU state group enjoys individual special rights.

    In the current 20th legislative period , the CDU/CSU parliamentary group is leading the parliamentary opposition .

    From 2005 to 2021, Angela Merkel was the last person from the ranks of the CDU/CSU to hold office as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

    Europe group

    At the European level, the members of the CDU organize themselves together with the Bavarian representatives of the CSU in the CDU/CSU group in the EPP group in the European Parliament .

    organization

    party congress

    28th Party Congress 2015 in Karlsruhe
    Organizational structure and committees of the CDU

    The party congress is the highest organ of the CDU. It meets at least every two years, determines the basic principles of CDU policy, adopts the party program and decides on the statutes of the CDU.

    The first party congress, which was then still called the federal party congress and at which Konrad Adenauer was elected federal chairman, took place in Goslar from October 20th to 22nd, 1950 . The 34th party congress took place in digital form on January 22, 2022 and elected Friedrich Merz as the new chairman. The results of the party congress will be verified by a postal vote.

    federal committee

    The Federal Committee is the second-highest body and deals with all political issues and organizational matters that are not expressly reserved for the Federal Party Congress. For this reason it is often also called a small party congress .

    National Executive and Presidency

    The CDU federal board leads the federal party. It carries out the decisions of the federal party convention and the federal committee and convenes the federal party convention. The executive committee of the CDU implements the resolutions of the federal executive board and handles current and urgent business. It consists of the leading members of the federal executive board and is not an organ of the CDU Germany.

    members

    membership development. The data refer to information in the specialist literature, estimates (before 1966) and party information as of December 31 of the respective year.

    In December 2021, Germany's CDU had 384,204 members. The average age of CDU members is 60.8 years. 26.6 percent of the members are female and 73.4 percent male (see CDU proportion of women from 1991 ).

    As of 2011, the proportion of women in the new federal states was 28.1 percent, slightly higher than in the old federal states , at 25.3 percent (as of 2011).

    At the beginning of the 1990s, the CDU reached the highest level in its history with around 750,000 members, after which the number steadily decreased. At the end of June 2008, it was 530,755, meaning that the CDU had more members than the SPD for the first time, making it the German party with the most members. In May 2011, the number of members of the CDU fell below the 500,000 mark for the first time at 499,646, but was still ahead of the SPD. At the end of June 2012, the CDU had 482,951 members, falling slightly behind the SPD again. Internal party calculations assume that the number of members in the east will halve by 2019 compared to 2007, and that in the west by 2024. In 2013, the CDU recorded a decline of 1.95 percent. The decline in membership continued to weaken in 2014 compared to the previous year and was 1.18 percent by September 2014. In 2016, the decline in membership was 2.9 percent.

    The minimum age required for membership is 16 years of age.

    The minimum contribution for CDU membership is graded according to gross income and starts at six euros per month in the lower income brackets.

    According to a 2005 study by the Freie Universität Berlin , 51 percent of CDU members are currently Catholic, 33.3 percent are Protestant and 15.7 percent do not feel they belong to any church.

    electoral strongholds

    The party's strongholds are primarily concentrated in rural and/or Catholic regions such as the Eifel , Sauerland , Paderborn district , Münsterland , Oldenburger Münsterland ( Cloppenburg - Vechta ), Emsland , northern Saarland , Eichsfeld in Thuringia , district and city ​​of Fulda , the Upper Swabian counties of Biberach , Ravensburg and Sigmaringen , various southern Baden counties, and areas of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony . The party has comparatively few followers in the cities of the Ruhr area , in Bremen , in East Frisia , Brandenburg and in the eastern districts of Berlin . In 2013 it was discussed that the CDU had lost popularity in the big cities in previous years, so that it had fewer and fewer mayors there , which led to debates within the party as to how metropolitan milieus could be won as voters in the future.

    In the recent past, however, a "melting down" of the strongholds has been observed to an increasing extent. For example, in the 1983 Bundestag elections, the CDU (excluding the CSU) achieved a first vote result of over 60 percent in 27 constituencies; Biberach was the leader with 75.1 percent. In the 2005 general election, however, the CDU received more than 60 percent of the first votes in only one constituency: in Cloppenburg-Vechta with 64.4 percent.

    associations and special organizations

    associations

    Angela Merkel at the Congress of the European People's Party , 2015

    In addition to the state associations, the front organizations in the CDU play an important role within the party. The associations are anchored in the statute of the CDU. In doing so, they have two main tasks: on the one hand, they are to disseminate the party's policy within their respective spheres of activity. On the other hand, they should also allow the concerns of the groups they represent to flow into the politics of the CDU. In relation to other parties, the associations enjoy a high degree of independence from the party as a whole. In addition to the right to set its own statutes, this is expressed above all in the fact that its members do not necessarily have to be members of the party as a whole. In addition, they expressly have the right to their own political statements, provided these do not contradict the principles of the party.

    The CDU currently has seven associations. Most of its origins date back to the early days of the party in the 1950s. Their weight within the party varies. In addition to the Junge Union , the Mittelstand and Wirtschaftsvereinigung is generally regarded as particularly influential. The importance of the Christian Democratic Workers' Group (CDA or social committees) , which was an important inner-party power factor up until the 1970s, has since declined sharply. The Seniors' Union , founded in 1988, is committed to intergenerational justice and active participation in shaping demographic change and, according to its own statements, is the second-largest group within the CDU. There is also the Women's Union , the East and Central German Association and the Local Political Association of the CDU and CSU .

    Special organizations and other groups

    Academy of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin

    In addition to the associations anchored in the statutes, there are other front organizations with different statuses in the CDU. In the literature, they are sometimes placed on a par with associations. The special organizations include associations of CDU members or CDU sympathizers , which achieve a lower degree of formalization than the associations. The Evangelical Working Group (EAK) and the Ring of Christian Democratic Students (RCDS) have been recognized nationwide since 1952 . Both also include Bavarian state associations, the EAK of the CSU and the RCDS Bayern.

    In addition, there are and have been the following other groups in the CDU:

    party foundation

    The party-affiliated foundation of the CDU is the Konrad Adenauer Foundation .

    party finances

    The total income of the CDU in 2017 was 156,700,798.32 euros. The CDU's most important sources of income include state funds, party donations and membership fees.

    Income of the CDU in 2017 EUR portion
    membership fees 37,573,934.92 23.98%
    Mandate contributions and similar regular contributions 20,094,742.17 12.82%
    Donations from natural persons 22,576,258.92 14.41%
    Donations from legal entities 12,629,911.08 8.06%
    Income from business activities and participations 0.00 –
    income from other assets 2,002,577.55 1.29%
    Events, distribution of pamphlets and publications and other revenue-related activities 12,782,222.14 8.16%
    State Funds 48,361,704.25 30.86%
    Other revenue 659,447.29 0.42%
    total ≈ 156,700,798 100%

    Between 25 and 40 percent of the donation income from legal entities consists of large donations of more than 20,000 euros per donation. The following companies and associations are among the largest donors (legal entities, total donations from 2000 to 2008, from 2007 only donations of 50,000 euros or more):

    1. €2,244,096 Deutsche Bank AG
    2. €1,639,034 Southwest Metal
    3. €1,461,652 Daimler AG
    4. €1,452,678 Altana Ltd
    5. 1,036,816 € Association of the Chemical Industry e. V
    6. €740,000 Association of the Bavarian Metal and Electrical Industry
    7. €665,031 BMW AG
    8. €663,957 Allianz AG
    9. €625,516 Association of the Metal and Electrical Industry North Rhine-Westphalia e. V
    10. €456,150 Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG DVAG

    From January to July 2017, the CDU received 15 large donations (each over €50,000) with a total value of €1,901,537.00.

    story

    founding

    Commemorative plaque at the founding house of the CDU, Platanenallee 11, in Berlin-Westend

    In the chaos of the collapse of the National Socialist dictatorship, immediately after the end of the war in 1945, the Christian-Democratic (sic! ) and the Christian Social Union. Their idea arose in the resistance circles and Gestapo prisons in the awareness of a common destiny, political convictions and ideals, regardless of religion.

    Immediately after the invasion of American troops on March 6, 1945, concrete plans for a new "Christian Democratic Party" began in Cologne. The "Cologne Principles" drawn up after June 17, 1945 formed the basis for the programs of the new party in Rhineland and Westphalia in September 1945. Almost simultaneously, on June 26, 1945, the Christian Democratic Union (sic!) came into being in Berlin with its Founding appeal “German people!” to the public.

    The majority of the founding appeals were signed by victims of Nazi persecution, concentration camp prisoners or emigrants. The first leader of the CDU, Andreas Hermes , had been sentenced to death for involvement in the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt and was awaiting execution on Plötzensee 's death row before being freed in April 1945. In his view, the new Christian, interdenominational party should make up for the shortcomings of the Catholic-dominated Center Party in the Weimar Republic in the future German state.

    1953 election poster with the slogan " All roads of Marxism lead to Moscow "

    Between 1945 and 1949, the CDU organized itself at different speeds in the German states and zones of occupation. A first overarching merger took place in the joint zone committee of the eight state associations of the CDU in the British zone, which was constituted on January 22, 1946 in Herford in East Westphalia . Konrad Adenauer was elected chairman of the zone committee. A merger was prohibited in the French and American zones of occupation. In 1947, the CDU therefore formed a working group in order to maintain the party's internal unity despite the differing progress. Cooperation with the CDU in the Soviet occupation zone dwindled due to the imposed political orientation. On May 11, 1950, at a conference of state chairmen in Königswinter, the CDU merged at federal level. On October 21 of the same year, this was confirmed at the 1st Federal Party Congress in Goslar. In this way, the political reality of two German states was reflected in the organizational structure of the CDU. The federal party also had its own state association of CDU members who had fled to the West until the early 1950s, the so-called Exil-CDU .

    A significant part of the CDU membership (including Konrad Adenauer ) comes from the Catholic Center Party , which existed before the Second World War and was shaped by South and West Germany . Leading members of the German National People's Party , the right-wing liberal German People's Party and the liberal DDP also joined the CDU, particularly in Northern Germany . The founding of the Union as a secular and interdenominational party made it possible, in contrast to the former Center Party , to gain a foothold in Protestant circles far beyond the Catholic milieu.

    The first strongly anti-materialist Neheim-Hüstener program from 1946 for the British zone was largely formulated by Adenauer. The Ahlen program from 1947 was largely shaped by the CDU in the British zones of occupation and, in the spirit of “ Christian socialism ”, envisaged turning away from a capitalist social and economic order. In contrast, the "Düsseldorf Principles" of 1949 advocated the capitalist economic order in the sense of a social market economy , which was put into practice by the first Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer , and the Federal Minister of Economics , Ludwig Erhard . In 1953, the party manifested this orientation in the "Hamburg Program".

    1949-1963: The Adenauer era

    CDU election poster from 1957: " No experiments !"

    In the first federal election in 1949 , the Union parties became the strongest parliamentary group with 31.0 percent, just ahead of the SPD (29.2 percent) and together with the FDP (11.9 percent) and the German party (DP; 4.0 percent) a coalition. The former Lord Mayor of Cologne and longtime Center politician, Konrad Adenauer , was elected the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on September 15, 1949 by a majority of one vote . In 1950, Adenauer was also elected the first federal chairman of the CDU when the CDU was formed at federal level.

    Adenauer 's Rhenish Catholicism and its roots in Catholic social teaching had a lasting impact on German society in the 1950s. The Union experienced two brilliant victories in the Bundestag elections in 1953 and 1957 , in particular due to the policy of Federal Minister of Economics Ludwig Erhard , which was largely rated as successful , which led to an economic upswing . The election victory in 1957 even brought it and the CSU an absolute majority . Despite this, it continued to form a coalition with the right-wing conservative DP , which is still present above all in northern Germany . In the second and third federal elections, the CDU also helped the DP to override the five-percent hurdle by using the basic mandate clause by refraining from nominating direct candidates in some prominent North German DP strongholds. Since she refused to "help" the DP again in the 1961 federal elections , half of the 17 DP members of the Bundestag switched to the CDU in 1960, including the DP federal ministers Hans-Christoph Seebohm and Hans-Joachim von Merkatz . For a year, the CDU and CSU led a one-party government, since the remaining DP MPs were no longer part of the government. From the early 1960s, most of the DP electorate also switched to the CDU, so that the DP no longer played a role.

    The 1950s were marked by the “ economic miracle ” and the debate about the Federal Republic’s ties to the West (including joining NATO in 1955 and aligning it with the USA). The Soviet offer for a united, neutral Germany was seen by the CDU as a camouflage maneuver. Adenauer formulated the so-called suction theory . According to this theory, a neutral Germany was in danger of being sucked into the Soviet Union.

    The CDU suffered serious losses in the 1961 federal election (CDU 35.8 percent, CSU 9.6 percent, SPD 36.2 percent, FDP 12.8 percent). Among other things, these losses were attributed to the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and Adenauer's allegedly hesitant reaction to it.

    Ludwig Erhard (left) and Kurt Georg Kiesinger (right), November 25, 1966

    1963–1969: Erhard and Kiesinger governments

    In 1963 Adenauer resigned from the office of Federal Chancellor in favor of Ludwig Erhard and in 1966 also from the party chairmanship. Erhard was able to secure government responsibility for the CDU in the 1965 federal election , but a year later there was a break with the coalition partner FDP due to disputes about economic and financial policy issues and the first economic crisis of the post-war period. The previous Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg , Kurt Georg Kiesinger , then formed the first grand coalition at federal level with the SPD .

    1969–1982: First time in opposition

    The 1969 federal election brought about a deep turning point in the history of the Federal Republic and also in the history of the CDU: For the first time, the CDU had to go into the parliamentary opposition , since the SPD and FDP formed a coalition under Chancellor Willy Brandt (SPD). In the election of the federal party chairman in 1971, Rainer Barzel , who had been chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag since 1963, prevailed in a contested vote against the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate , Helmut Kohl .

    Due to their rejection of the Eastern treaties , several members of the government camp defected to the CDU/CSU opposition between 1970 and 1972, which brought them close to a majority in the Bundestag (see Members of the sixth German Bundestag ). In the spring of 1972, Barzel's attempt to replace Brandt with a constructive vote of no confidence failed , although before the vote the opposition appeared to have a mathematical majority. The exact circumstances of this vote have not been completely clarified to this day, the only thing that is certain is that at least one vote from the ranks of the Union deputies was bought by the state security of the GDR (see Steiner-Wienand affair ). There was a clear defeat in the 1972 Bundestag elections : for the first time, the CDU and CSU were no longer the strongest parliamentary group. Barzel, CDU chairman since 1971, renounced a second electoral term in 1973 and took responsibility for the election defeat, which was viewed as a debacle within the party. He was succeeded by Helmut Kohl , who was to lead the party until 1998.

    In 1976, the CDU went into the election campaign with the slogans "For the love of Germany: Choose freedom" and "Freedom instead of socialism". However, Kohl's first candidacy for Chancellor against Chancellor Helmut Schmidt in the 1976 federal election failed, although the CDU and CSU were able to achieve significant gains, becoming the strongest party again and only just missing out on an absolute majority. In mid-November 1976, the CSU then announced the Kreuth separation decision by terminating the faction community with the CDU in the Bundestag and striving for an extension to the entire federal territory . She only backed down after the CDU had threatened to become active in Bavaria in the future. In the federal elections of 1980 , CSU chairman Franz Josef Strauss , as the joint candidate for chancellor of the two Union parties, lost to incumbent Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

    1982–1998: The Kohl government

    Helmut Kohl, September 11, 1989
    Helmut Kohl at the opening of the border at the Brandenburg Gate, December 22, 1989

    In 1982 the social-liberal coalition broke up . Helmut Kohl was elected Helmut Schmidt's successor on October 1, 1982 by a constructive vote of no confidence. In the early federal elections in 1983 , the CDU and CSU under Kohl significantly increased their share of the vote to 48.8 percent and continued the coalition with the FDP that they had formed with the change of power in October 1982. Although the Federal Constitutional Court dismissed complaints against the early dissolution of the Bundestag, the fact that the Bundestag elections came about as a result of a vote of confidence deliberately lost remained constitutionally controversial. In the 1987 general election , the CDU and CSU suffered significant losses under Kohl's leadership, but remained the strongest parliamentary group in the Bundestag and continued to govern with the FDP.

    On November 9, 1989, the borders between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany were opened . Kohl was in Warsaw at the time and, like most observers, was completely taken by surprise by the events. He immediately broke off his stay in order to go to Bonn and then to West Berlin . After initial hesitation and planning for a long-term unification process (ten-point plan), it became clear in the spring of 1990, due to popular pressure, that reunification had to be achieved quickly. Through intensive personal talks and negotiations, Kohl managed to gain the approval of the Allies and the support of his European neighbors. The Federal Chancellor, who had already fallen far behind in the opinion polls, was able to win a clear victory in the first all-German federal election in 1990 – celebrated as the “Chancellor of Unity” .

    In the course of reunification, parts of the GDR civil rights movement, such as the Democratic Awakening , but also the previous GDR block parties , the Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany and the CDU (East) , merged into the CDU. Apart from a few leaders, the CDU (East), which shortly before had understood itself as a “party of socialism”, was completely integrated into the CDU of the Federal Republic without much consideration for the previous commitments of the members. (A separate article gives an overview of the whereabouts of the assets of the Eastern CDU and the Farmers' Party after the merger.)

    After the CDU had just managed to assert itself again in the 1994 federal elections with Helmut Kohl as the leading figure, it lost the government majority together with the CSU in the 1998 federal elections and for the second time in the history of the Federal Republic its position as the strongest parliamentary group. With 35.1 percent, it achieved the second-worst result in federal elections in its history after 1949. Kohl's successor as Federal Chancellor was the previous Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schröder (SPD).

    The main causes of the disastrous defeat were the sluggish economic development with the accompanying increase in unemployment; and the Germans, after 16 years as chancellor, had grown weary of Helmut Kohl. The CDU was also in a deep crisis at state level. In November 1998, for example, it was only the head of government in Baden-Württemberg , Berlin , Saxony and Thuringia , forming a grand coalition with the SPD in Berlin and Thuringia. In addition, she was a junior partner of the SPD in another grand coalition in Bremen .

    1998-2005: The CDU in opposition

    Wolfgang Schäuble became the new party chairman . In 1998/1999, the CDU/CSU initiated a signature campaign against the reform of German citizenship law , in which the law of descent was to be supplemented by elements of the ius soli . The public campaign helped the Hessian top candidate Roland Koch to win the election and to become Prime Minister of Hesse .

    At the end of 1999, the CDU was rocked by a party donation scandal. The core of the affair was donations in the millions, whose donors Helmut Kohl refused to name. Likewise, some black accounts were kept bypassing the Treasury . The CDU General Secretary at the time , Angela Merkel, forced Kohl to resign as CDU honorary chairman. In connection with this scandal, Wolfgang Schäuble had to resign as chairman of the CDU and the CDU/CSU parliamentary group at the beginning of 2000 after contradicting statements on the facts. The successor as party leader was Angela Merkel , who was the first woman to become the head of one of the German people's parties. Schäuble's successor as parliamentary group leader was Friedrich Merz . In 2000, the party headquarters moved from Bonn to the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus in Berlin .

    In the 2002 Bundestag elections , the Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber (CSU) ran as a candidate for chancellor. Despite significant growth in southern and southwestern Germany, the CDU/CSU remained only the second largest parliamentary group. According to analysts, the main reason was that Bayer Stoiber was not able to appeal to voters sufficiently, especially in northern (like Strauss in 1980) and eastern Germany.

    The state elections in Schleswig-Holstein in 2005 brought about the end of Prime Minister Heide Simonis ' (SPD) term; the CDU then led a grand coalition with the SPD. On May 22, 2005, the CDU was victorious in North Rhine-Westphalia , replacing the last incumbent red-green state government in Germany at the time.

    2005-2009: First female Chancellor – Second grand coalition

    Angela Merkel after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Physics and Geosciences at the University of Leipzig , June 3, 2008

    After the early Bundestag elections on September 18, 2005, the CDU and CSU parliamentary group under Angela Merkel became the strongest parliamentary group for the first time since the 1994 election, but received fewer votes than in the previous election and than forecast in opinion polls . The Union received the third-worst result in its party's history. The declared election goal, a Bundestag majority for a coalition with the FDP, could not be achieved.

    Although the CDU/CSU was the strongest faction, the SPD initially claimed the office of Federal Chancellor; However, since that ruled out a coalition of the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party and the FDP was not prepared to form a traffic light coalition , it was not possible to form a government without the CDU. On November 11, 2005, the CDU, CSU and SPD agreed on a coalition agreement for a grand coalition under Angela Merkel as Federal Chancellor. After the signing of the coalition agreement on November 22, 2005, Angela Merkel was elected the first woman to hold the position of Federal Chancellor with 397 out of 614 votes from the members of the German Bundestag. Angela Merkel received more votes in the chancellor election than any of her predecessors in office, but in percentage terms her election result with 64.9 percent of the votes was worse than that of Kurt Georg Kiesinger . However, when he was elected Chancellor on December 1, 1966, the grand coalition provided more than 90.1 percent of the seats, while the grand coalition under Merkel provided just under 73 percent of the seats in the 16th German Bundestag. This was mainly due to the three other parties, which were much more strongly represented in the Bundestag than before.

    2009-2013: New coalition partner in the Merkel II cabinet

    In the 2009 federal election , the CDU lost a little more votes, but thanks to overhang mandates , it was represented by more MPs in the Bundestag than in the previous legislative period . Since the FDP also achieved the best election result in its history, Angela Merkel was able to change government partners and be re-elected as head of government in the fourth Christian-liberal coalition with the votes of the CDU and FDP . Before that, no chancellor in German history had managed to change coalition partners.

    In January 2010, the CDU presented its future paper, the Berlin Declaration . This was perceived by some observers as a sign of a leftward trend in the CDU. On the initiative of Friedrich-Wilhelm Siebeke , the Stop the Left Trend campaign was founded, which published its manifesto against the left trend in German daily newspapers a month after the Berlin Declaration.

    2013-2021: Another grand coalition

    After the 2013 federal election , in which the Union missed out on an absolute majority of seats in the Bundestag by only five mandates, it explored with Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and the SPD. Since some officials of the Greens and the CSU rejected a black-green coalition, the CDU/CSU and the SPD again negotiated the formation of a grand coalition. After the successful membership decision of the SPD , the coalition agreement was signed. On December 17, 2013, Angela Merkel was elected Chancellor for the third time by a large majority.

    Since the FDP, which according to Merkel is and will remain a "natural coalition partner", remained at around 3 percent in election polls in 2014 and a return to the Bundestag in 2017 appeared uncertain against this background, the CDU began to open up more to the Greens.

    In the 2017 federal election , the CDU lost heavily and, together with the CSU, only got 32.9 percent of the votes. After the SPD initially ruled out a resumption of the grand coalition on the evening of the election, there were soundings for a Jamaica coalition of Union, FDP and Greens. These failed in November 2017. After successful exploratory and coalition negotiations with the SPD, Angela Merkel was re-elected for the third time on March 14, 2018 .

    On August 27, 2018, the Presidium and Federal Executive Committee of the CDU revoked the status of the Christian Democrats for Life , the Economic Council of the CDU and the Value Union as special organizations of the party. Since then, new CDU groups or associations should no longer be officially recognised.

    After the CSU suffered major losses in the state elections in Bavaria in October 2018 and two weeks later the CDU also lost double digits in the state elections in Hesse , Angela Merkel resigned in a presidium meeting on October 29, 2018, the day after the Hessian state elections announced that he would no longer run for the office of CDU chairman at the upcoming party conference. She also announced that she would not stand again in the next federal election. CDU General Secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer , former parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz and Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn ran to succeed her as party leader . This was the first time since 1971 that there was more than one candidate for the post, and for the first time ever there were more than two. On December 7, 2018, the delegates at the 31st federal party conference of the CDU elected Kramp-Karrenbauer as the new party leader in the second ballot.

    In the 2019 European elections , the Union achieved 28.9 percent, the worst result in a nationwide election to date. Although Manfred Weber from the CSU ran as the EPP's top candidate, the European Council subsequently nominated Federal Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President. She was elected by the EU Parliament on July 16 and is the first woman to hold this office as well as the first German and the first CDU politician since Walter Hallstein .

    CDU chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced on February 10, 2020, immediately during the government crisis in Thuringia , which was triggered by the election of the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich as prime minister with votes from the CDU and AfD , that she would not run for chancellor the federal elections in 2021 and the withdrawal from the party chairmanship. Armin Laschet , Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, once again Friedrich Merz and foreign politician Norbert Röttgen applied to succeed him . The election of the new party leader was originally scheduled for the end of April 2020, but had to be postponed twice due to the corona pandemic . On January 16, 2021, a digital party conference elected Armin Laschet as the new CDU federal chairman in the second ballot. Since this was the first digital personal election in German party history, formal confirmation by postal vote was necessary. Laschet therefore officially became chairman on January 22nd.

    At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany in spring 2020, the popularity ratings of the CDU in surveys initially rose sharply. This was regularly interpreted as the usual positive effect of external crises on the popularity ratings of the CDU as the leading governing party. In March 2021, however, the popularity ratings fell significantly again and the CDU suffered defeats in two state elections (each historically worst result in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate ). Above all, various suspected cases of corruption by politicians and members of the Bundestag of the CDU and CSU were held responsible for this (including in the course of the mask affair and the Azerbaijan affair ). In addition, there was increasing dissatisfaction among the population with the fight against the pandemic ("third wave" and vaccination progress perceived as sluggish).

    Since the federal election on September 26, 2021 – opposition again

    In the 2021 federal election , the Union received 24.1 percent of the second votes (after 32.9 percent in 2017 and 41.5 percent in 2013 and 33.8 percent in 2009), i.e. it lost one in four voters compared to 2017 (26.7 percent).

    After strong internal party pressure, Laschet announced on October 7, 2021 that he wanted to give up the party leadership. To determine the successor in the presidency, the party base was involved for the first time by means of member surveys.

    personalities

    Federal President

    Friedrich Merz Armin Laschet Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer Angela Merkel Wolfgang Schäuble Helmut Kohl Rainer Barzel Kurt Georg Kiesinger Ludwig Erhard Konrad Adenauer
    chairman beginning of the term end of term honorary chair
    Soviet zone
    Andrew Hermes Andrew Hermes July 1945 December 1945 no
    Jacob Kaiser Jacob Kaiser 1946 1947 since 1958
    Otto Nuschke Otto Nuschke 1948 1949 no
    federal republic
    Konrad Adenauer Konrad Adenauer
    Chancellor from 1949 to 1963     		March 1, 1946 (British Zone)

    October 21, 1950 (National)     		March 23, 1966 since 1966
    Ludwig Erhard Ludwig Erhard
    Federal Chancellor 1963 to 1966     		March 23, 1966 May 23, 1967 since 1967
    Kurt George Kiesinger Kurt Georg Kiesinger
    Chancellor from 1966 to 1969     		May 23, 1967 October 5, 1971 since 1971
    Rainer Barzel Rainer Barzel October 5, 1971 June 12, 1973 no
    Helmut Kohl Helmut Kohl
    Federal Chancellor 1982 to 1998
    Chairman of the European Council 1994     		June 12, 1973 November 7, 1998 since 1998;
    on January 18, 2000, Helmut Kohl agreed to let the honorary chairmanship rest due to the CDU donation scandal
    Wolfgang Schäuble Wolfgang Schäuble November 7, 1998 February 16, 2000 no
    Angela Merkel Angela Merkel
    Federal Chancellor 2005 to 2021
    President of the European Council 2007     		April 10, 2000 December 7, 2018 no
    Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
    Federal Minister of Defense 2019 to 2021     		December 7, 2018 January 22, 2021 no
    Armin Laschet Armin Laschet
    Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2017 to 2021     		January 22, 2021 ( voted digitally
    on January 16, 2021 )     		January 31, 2022 no
    2019-11-22 Friedrich Merz CDU party conference by OlafKosinsky MG 5774.jpg Friedrich Merz
    former chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group     		January 31, 2022
    (voted digitally on January 22, 2022)     		officiating

    general secretaries

    Surname beginning of the term end of term
    Bruno Heck Bruno Heck 1967 1971
    Konrad Kraske Konrad Kraske 1971 1973
    Kurt Biedenkopf Kurt Biedenkopf 1973 1977
    Heiner Geissler Heiner Geissler 1977 1989
    Volker Ruehe Volker Ruehe 1989 1992
    Peter Hintze Peter Hintze 1992 1998
    Angela Merkel Angela Merkel 1998 2000
    Rupert Polenz Rupert Polenz 2000 2000
    Laurence Meyer Laurence Meyer 2000 2004
    Volker Kauder Volker Kauder 2005 2005
    Ronald Pofalla Ronald Pofalla 2005 2009
    Hermann Grohe Hermann Grohe 2009 2013
    Peter Tauber Peter Tauber 2013 2018
    Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer February 2018 December 2018
    Paul Ziemiak Paul Ziemiak 2018 2022
    2017-11-16 Mario Czaja by Sandro Halank–1.jpg Mario Czaja 2022 officiating
    Ralph Brinkhaus Volker Kauder Angela Merkel Friedrich Merz Wolfgang Schäuble Alfred Dregger Helmut Kohl Karl Carstens Rainer Barzel Heinrich von Brentano Heinrich Krone Heinrich von Brentano Konrad Adenauer

    Chairwoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group

    Surname beginning of the term end of term
    Konrad Adenauer Konrad Adenauer September 1, 1949 September 20, 1949
    Henry of Brentano Henry of Brentano September 30, 1949 June 7, 1955
    Henry Krone Henry Krone June 15, 1955 Nov. 24, 1961
    Henry of Brentano Henry of Brentano Nov. 24, 1961 November 14, 1964 (†)
    Rainer Barzel Rainer Barzel December 1, 1964 May 9, 1973
    Karl Carstens Karl Carstens May 17, 1973 December 1, 1976
    Helmut Kohl Helmut Kohl December 13, 1976 October 4, 1982
    Alfred Dregger Alfred Dregger October 4, 1982 Nov. 25, 1991
    Wolfgang Schäuble Wolfgang Schäuble Nov. 25, 1991 February 29, 2000
    Friedrich Merz Friedrich Merz February 29, 2000 September 24, 2002
    Angela Merkel Angela Merkel September 24, 2002 November 21, 2005
    Volker Kauder Volker Kauder November 21, 2005 September 25, 2018
    Ralph Brinkhaus Ralph Brinkhaus September 25, 2018 officiating

    Federal President

    The following CDU politicians were elected Federal Presidents of the Federal Republic of Germany. Party membership is traditionally suspended during the presidency.

    Chancellor

    The following CDU politicians officiated as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

    President of the German Bundestag

    The following CDU politicians were elected Presidents of the German Bundestag by the members of the German Bundestag .

    President of the Federal Constitutional Court

    Subsequent CDU politicians served as Presidents of the Federal Constitutional Court .

    Presidents of EU institutions and EU commissioners

    The following CDU politicians were elected Presidents of the European Parliament by the members of the European Parliament .

    Subsequent CDU politicians served as members of the European Commission or as its President .

    The European Court of Auditors , as an organ of the European Union , has so far been chaired by two CDU politicians as presidents.

    Results in federal elections

    Results of the federal elections

    Results of the CDU in the federal elections 1949-2017
    election year vote share voices 1
    1949 25.2% 05,978,636
    1953 36.4% 10,016,594
    1957 39.7% 11,875,339
    1961 35.8% 11,283,901
    1965 38.0% 12,387,562
    1969 36.6% 12,079,535
    1972 35.2% 13.190.837
    1976 38.0% 14.367.302
    1980 34.2% 12,989,200
    1983 38.2% 14,857,680
    1987 34.5% 13,045,745
    1990 36.7% 17.055.116
    1994 34.2% 16,089,960
    1998 28.4% 14.004.908
    2002 29.5% 14.167.561
    2005 27.8% 13,136,740
    2009 27.3% 11,828,277
    2013 34.1% 14,921,877
    2017 26.8% 12,445,832
    2021 18.9% 08,775,471
    1From 1953: second votes.

    Results of the European elections

    Results of the CDU in the European elections 1979-2019
    election year vote share voices
    1979 39.1% 10,883,085
    1984 37.5% 09,308,411
    1989 29.5% 08,332,846
    1994 32.0% 11.346.073
    1999 39.3% 10,628,224
    2004 36.5% 09,412,997
    2009 30.7% 08,071,391
    2014 30.0% 08,812,653
    2019 22.6% 08,438,975

    literature

    See also

    web links

    Commons : Christian Democratic Union of Germany  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

    itemizations

    1. ↑ a b c d Decline in membership of the CDU and CSU - Greens are increasing. In: German Press Agency (dpa). ZEIT ONLINE, retrieved on January 18, 2022 .
    2. ↑ Das Corporate Design der CDU Deutschlands , retrieved on April 2, 2019
    3. ↑ Overview of party financing (PDF; 634 kB)
    4. ↑ Josef Schmid: Christian Democratic Union of Germany . In: Uwe Andersen and Wichard Woyke (eds.): Manual of the political system of the Federal Republic of Germany. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 1995, p. 110.
    5. ↑ German Center Party (Centre, 1869/71-1933) in Historisches Lexikon Bayerns , accessed March 20, 2021.
    6. ↑ See basic program, § 234.
    7. ↑ Cf. Basic program, § 5.
    8. ↑ See basic program, § 39.
    9. ↑ See basic program, § 320.
    10. ↑ See basic program, § 279.
    11. ↑ List of the policy programs with the respective texts at the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation
    12. ^ Policy program ( Memento of 22 January 2009 at the Internet Archive )
    13. ↑ Policy programme: where do we stand? , on cdu.de
    14. ↑ The Zone Committee of the Christian Democratic Union of the British Zone : Neheim-Hüsten party manifesto . In: Archive of the federal office of the CDU . tape 2/201 , no. 16-1 , 1946, p. 3 ( Website of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation [PDF; 436 kB ; accessed January 10, 2020]).
    15. ↑ Freedom and Security. Principles for Germany. December 4, 2007, retrieved January 10, 2020 .
    16. ↑ For a Germany in which we live well and gladly. , on cdu.de
    17. ↑ Same-sex marriage as a question of conscience: Merkel lifts faction coercion in the Union , on n-tv.de
    18. ↑ Education policy: The CDU not only says goodbye to the secondary school , on zeit.de
    19. ↑ For security and order. (Flyer Safety), on cdu.de
    20. ↑ Press statement deployment of the Bundeswehr in the interior , on cducsu.de
    21. ↑ CDU parliamentary group Berlin: CDU parliamentary group Berlin - labeling requirement for police officers superfluous and dangerous. Retrieved September 9, 2021 .
    22. ↑ GdP MV: This is how the parties see the obligation to identify police officers. Retrieved September 9, 2021 .
    23. ↑ Martin Holland: Bosbach: Union sticks to data retention. heise.de, July 5, 2013, retrieved July 11, 2013 .
    24. ↑ Martin Lutz: Controversial move: Union wants to expel foreign criminals quickly. In: welt.de . November 15, 2013, retrieved October 7, 2018 .
    25. ↑ We will always stand by Israel's side Speech on Israel's 60th anniversary, on cducsu.de
    26. ↑ CDU website: The CDU - the German European party. ( Memento des Originals from September 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@2Template:Webarchiv/IABot/www.cdu.de
    27. ↑ See 60 years of CDU responsibility for Germany and Europe. (PDF; 1.6 MB) Günter Buchstab , Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation , retrieved 15 October 2011 . p. 29
    28. ↑ Konrad Adenauer Foundation: Helmut Kohl
    29. ↑ Position paper by Elmar Brok MEP and Werner Langen MEP: For a strong and stable Europe.
    30. ↑ Strong Europe - Good future for Germany - Resolution of the 24th party conference of the CDU Germany. (PDF; 84 kB) Christian Democratic Union of Germany, accessed 15 November 2011 .
    31. ↑ Election program: Laschet promises "modernization push". 21 June 2021, retrieved 2 July 2021 .
    32. ↑ Union: Angela Merkel apparently does not go to the CSU party conference. Spiegel Online , October 29, 2016, retrieved April 19, 2017 .
    33. ↑ CDU Commission initiates quota for women. In: DW.com (Deutsche Welle). 8 July 2020, retrieved 10 July 2020 .
    34. ↑ Michael Freckmann: A problem that could cost the CDU many more votes. In: t-online.de . December 27, 2021, retrieved December 28, 2021 .
    35. ↑ Helga Lukoschat, Renate Köcher: Party cultures and the political participation of women . Publisher: EAF Berlin . October 2021, p. 64, 66 .
    36. ↑ Oskar Niedermayer: Party members in Germany: Version 2019. (PDF) In: Workbooks from the Otto Stammer Center, No. 30; Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019 .
    37. ↑ Party memberships in Germany: Version 2019. (PDF) Retrieved August 7, 2019 .
    38. ↑ BVerfGE 80, 188
    39. ↑ Program. Retrieved January 22, 2022 .
    40. ↑ Ulrich von Alemann : The party system of the Federal Republic of Germany. Federal Agency for Civic Education: Bonn 2010. P. 171
    41. ↑ CDU federal office: Report of the federal office on the 24th party conference of the CDU Germany (PDF; 3.1 MB)
    42. ↑ Günter Bannas: CDU has more members than SPD. Pofalla: "A historic day". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, July 28, 2008, retrieved October 28, 2012 .
    43. ↑ The number of CDU members has also slipped below 500,000. Die Welt, June 16, 2011, retrieved October 28, 2012 .
    44. ↑ Robert Roßmann: Membership statistics of the people's parties. SPD dies slower. Süddeutsche.de, 10 July 2008, retrieved 28 October 2012 .
    45. ↑ CDU expects the number of members in the East to be halved by 2019. WirtschaftsWoche, July 21, 2007, retrieved on October 28, 2012 .
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    57. ↑ The Merkel Lodge , Der Spiegel June 12, 2006
    58. ↑ The forum for Konrad Adenauer's political legacy ( Memento des Originals from June 16, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , on konradserben.de @1@2Template:Webarchiv/IABot/konradserben.de
    59. ↑ The Chancellor in first-person mode , Cora Stephan , Wirtschaftswoche , November 22, 2016
    60. ↑ Union der Mitte Merkel supporters against the shift to the right , by Ansgar Graw , Die Welt 17 July 2018
    61. ↑ union-der-mitte.org ( memento of the original from April 30, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@2Template:Webarchiv/IABot/union-der-mitte.org
    62. ↑ Union der Mitte Liberal CDU supporters of Kramp-Karrenbauer meet in Berlin , by Florian Gathmann, Der Spiegel April 3, 2019
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    95. ↑ Bundestagswahl 2013. The Federal Returning Officer, 2013, retrieved on January 12, 2017 .
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