Adherents of Christian Democratic ideologies generally hold that the Christian faith provides the best mechanism for the creation of a just civil society, and that Christian concepts such as stewardship, communitarianism, social justice, and individual morality should be observed in the administration of public policy.
Many movements in Europe attempted to meld religious action to political action, but true support did not arise until the late nineteenth century when modernism began to threaten the privileged place of the Church in Western society. Christian Democratic parties saw an explosion of growth in particular after the Second World War; they represented an alternative path resisting both the harsh oppression of secular fascism and communism and the extremes of individualism and materialistic capitalism. During the Cold War, many Christian Democratic parties became active not only in Europe but in other predominantly Christian nations around the globe.
Although the specifically Christian tone of many of the major Christian Democratic parties has been muted in the later 20th century (and thus introduces confusion and electoral overlap with conservatives and social democrats alike), it nonetheless remains one of the major ideological strains in the world at large.
Article from 1908 representing Christian democracy as the ensemble of Catholic doctrine, organization, and action in the field of popular social questions. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04708a.htm
A proposed federation of Christian democratic and allied political parties, organizations and individuals in Central Europe. English, Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Ukrainian content regarding doctrine, structure, summits, history and news, and campaigns and http://strony.wp.pl/wp/intermarium/
Think tank which researches the history of Christian Democracy and supports European unification, international understanding, and development-policy cooperation. http://www.kas.de/1641_webseite.html
Article by Nigel Meek published in the Libertarian Alliance's Economic Notes, No. 95 which reviews "Unnecessary Suffering: Managing Market Utopia," a history of the European Christian Democratic movement. http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/econn/econn095.htm
British political movement to introduce Christian principles into society and government, founded by Ram Gidoomal. Site includes current news headlines, text of speeches and party documents, event information, and related links. http://www.cpalliance.net/
Hypertext of a book by Michael P. Fogarty published in 1957 describing the philosophical underpinnings of Christian Democracy, its history and involvement in 19th and 20th century movements, and its relationship to the Catholic Church and church history. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=22115363
