The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (, CDU) was an

East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

political party founded in 1945. It was part of the National Front with the Socialist Unity Party and a

bloc party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...

until 1989. It contested the free elections in 1990 as an arm of the West German Christian Democratic Union, into which it merged after

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

later that same year.

Party politics

The CDU was originally very similar to its West German counterpart. Like the West German CDU, its support came mostly from devout

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. However, it was a little more left-leaning than the West German CDU. Its first chairman was Andreas Hermes, who had been a prominent member of the Centre Party during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

and a three-time minister. He fled to the West in 1946 and was replaced by Jakob Kaiser, another former Centre Party member and a leading member of the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

during World War II. Kaiser had been a prominent member of the Centre's left wing, and favoured nationalisation of heavy industries and a land distribution programme suggested by the Communists. However, his criticism of the Communists resulted in him being pushed out in 1947 in favour of the more pliant Otto Nuschke, a former member of the

German Democratic Party The German Democratic Party (, DDP) was a liberal political party in the Weimar Republic, considered centrist or centre-left. Along with the right-liberal German People's Party (, DVP), it represented political liberalism in Germany between 19 ...

. Nuschke and his supporters gradually pushed out those CDU members who were not willing to do the Communists' bidding. This culminated at the Sixth Party Congress in 1952, at which it formally transformed itself into a loyal partner of the Communists. At this gathering, it declared itself "a Socialist party without any limitations" in accordance with the new line of "Christian realism". In the 22 "Theses on Christian Realism", the CDU committed itself to the "Socialist reorganisation of Society" (1st edition, 1951). Emphasising the "exemplary realisation" of

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

's "teaching on building a new, better social order" in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, it was declared that Socialism offered at the time "the best opportunity for the realisation of Christ's demands and for exercising the practical Christianity". The programme also asserted the CDU's support for the working class' leading role in establishing socialism, a development which the party regarded from its 6th Congress onward as "historically necessary and consistent". Its deputies, like all other East German parties, consistently voted for the government's proposals in the

Volkskammer The Volkskammer (, "People's Chamber") was the supreme power organ of East Germany. It was the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs were subservient to it. The Volkskammer was initia ...

. The only exception was the vote on 9 March 1972 on the abortion law, when there were 14 "nays" and 8 absentees among the CDU deputies. After Nuschke's death, August Bach, another former Democratic Party member, led the party for the remainder of the 1950s. In 1966 long-time general secretary

Gerald Götting Gerald Götting (9 June 1923 – 19 May 2015) was a German politician and chairman of the East German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1966 until 1989. He served as President of the People's Chamber (''Volkskammer'') from 1969 to 1976 and ...

was elected chairman. Götting, who was chairman of the Volkskammer (and ''de facto'' vice president of the GDR) from 1969 to 1976, carried on and elaborated the pro-government line. Götting remained chairman and a Socialist Unity Party ally until

Erich Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the post ...

was deposed in favour of

Egon Krenz Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz (; born 19 March 1937) is a German former politician who was the last Communist leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during the Revolutions of 1989. He succeeded Erich Honecker as the Secretary (title), ...

in October 1989. On 2 November 1989, Götting was deposed by inner party reformers. In December 1989

Lothar de Maizière Lothar de Maizière (; born 2 March 1940) is a German former politician of the Christian Democratic Union. In 1990, he served as the head of the first and only democratically elected government of East Germany, holding this office during the fi ...

, a lawyer and deputy chairman of the Evangelical Church Synod of East Germany, was elected chairman. From that point on the party deposed (and later expelled) its former top figures, and became the strongest proponent of speedy reunification with

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. In March 1990, the CDU became the main element of the Alliance for Germany, a centre-right coalition. It won the first (and as it turned out, only) free general election and became the biggest party in the

People's Chamber The Volkskammer (, "People's Chamber") was the supreme power organ of East Germany. It was the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs were subservient to it. The Volkskammer was initial ...

. In April de Maizière became prime minister of the GDR, heading a grand coalition that immediately set about reuniting the country with the West. In August 1990, Democratic Awakening, a minor member of the governing coalition, merged into the East German CDU. The merger brought Democratic Awakening spokeswoman and future

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal Cabinet of Germany, government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Government of Germany, ...

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

into the party. In October 1990, the East German CDU merged into the West German CDU.

Newspaper

The official newspaper of the party was '' Neue Zeit'', published by Union: Verlag.

International relations

The CDU maintained close relations with other Christian democratic parties in the Soviet bloc. Relations with the state-sponsored and -controlled Catholic PAX Association in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and the Czechoslovak People's Party (CSL) were especially close. There were some contacts with individual members of the Italian

Christian Democracy Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...

party (DC), the Belgian Christian People's Party (CVP) and Christian Social Party (PSC) and the Dutch

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( , CDA) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands. Formed as a federation in 1975 by the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and the Christian Historical ...

(CDA). Although the East German CDU and its West German counterpart were often at odds with each other, they maintained official relations. The East German Christian Democrats also had close relations with the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

.Peter Joachim Lapp ''Die "befreundeten Parteien" der SED'', 1988, p. 103

Chairmen

General secretaries

East German CDU politicians

* Else Ackermann *

Sabine Bergmann-Pohl Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (née Schulz; ; born 20 April 1946) is a German doctor and politician. A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), she was president of the People's Chamber of East Germany from April to October 1990. Dur ...

(Last Head of State of the GDR) * Dieter Helm (later became the parliamentary leader for the CDU in the

Landtag of Brandenburg The Landtag of Brandenburg is the unicameral legislature of the states of Germany, state of Brandenburg in Germany. Its 88 members of parliament are usually elected every 5 years. It is responsible for deciding on state laws, controlling the s ...

) * Emil Fuchs (Theologian) * Karl Grobbel (co-founder of the Berlin Conference of European Catholics) * Hubertus Guske (General Secretary of the Berlin Conference of European Catholics) * Ernst Lemmer (co-chairman of the CDU in 1947) *

(deputy spokesperson of

's government and the united Germany's first female

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

) * Herbert Schirmer (Minister of Culture 1990) * Max Sefrin (Deputy Prime Minister) * Luitpold Steidle (Minister of Health Care) * Heinrich Toeplitz (Supreme Court of the GDR) * Heinz Winkler (Minister of Reconstruction)

Electoral history

References

External links

Christlich Demokratische Union of the GDR from ''chronik der wende''
{{Authority control Peaceful Revolution Organizations of the Revolutions of 1989 Political parties in East Germany Political parties established in 1945 Political parties disestablished in 1990 Defunct Christian political parties Christian socialist organizations Christian democratic parties in Germany 1945 establishments in Germany 1990 disestablishments in East Germany