Christian democracy is a political ideology which emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching. It was originally conceived as a combination of traditional Catholic beliefs and modern democratic ideas, but over time it grew to incorporate a variety of views from different Christian denominations and from different political thinkers. Christian democracy continues to be influential in Europe and Latin America, though throughout Europe the movement has been weakened by growing secularism.
In practice, Christian democracy is often considered centre-right on cultural, social, and moral issues (and is thus a supporter of social conservatism), while advocating a social market economy. In Europe, where Christian democrats defined their views as an alternative to the more leftist ideology of social democracy, Christian democratic parties are moderately conservative and center-right overall, whereas in the very different cultural and political environment of South America they tend to lean to the left in economical issues, and to the right in social issues.
The Christian Democratic Party (Spanish: Partido Demócrata Cristiano, PDC), also called simply as Christian Democracy (Spanish: Democracia Cristiana, DC), is a Christian Democrat political party in Argentina.
History
In 1947 the Christian Democrat Organization of America was founded to advocate the principles of Christian Democracy in their respective countries. Each of the member parties is different, sometimes having differing views of Christian Democracy itself. Some of the member parties are in government in their country, others are in coalition government, and others are not in government.
When President Perón was reelected in 1952, the government's relationship with the Catholic Church also worsened. As Perón increasingly distanced itself from the Church, the government, which had first respected the Church's privileges, now took them away in a distinctly confrontational fashion. By 1954, the Peronist was openly anti-Church. Meanwhile a Christian Democratic Party was founded in 1954 after several other organisations had been active promoting Christian democracy in Argentina.
The Christian Democratic Party of Uruguay (Spanish: Partido Demócrata Cristiano) is a political party of the christian left.
Affiliation
It is part of the governing Progressive Encounter-New Majority (Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría) bloc. It is a part of the Progressive Alliance, which in turn forms part of the Liber Seregni Front uniting the more moderate centre-left and centrist sectors of the Broad Front.
The Civic Union (Uruguay) split from the party in 1971.
Programme
Its platform calls for "a communitarian society" and a "social state", as well as "absolute respect for human life" (including opposition to abortion). It further calls for "alternative forms of production, distribution, consumption and accumulation" that are "superior to capitalist and state-owned enterprises", including:
The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828, making it the world's oldest active party.
Once its dominant worldview was classical liberalism, but modern social liberalism became a force within the party with the candidatures of William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson, who won the presidential nominations in 1896, 1900, 1908, 1912 and 1916. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s the Democratic Party has promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting social justice and a mixed economy. The Democrats' philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality, along with the welfare state. It pursues a mixed economy by providing government intervention and regulation in the economy. These interventions, such as the introduction of social programs, support for labor unions, moves toward universal health care and equal opportunity, consumer protection, and environmental protection form the core of the party's economic policy.
The Democratic Party was a minor Australian political party that operated in New South Wales in the early 1920s. It represented the Roman Catholic minority, and was formed by Patrick Cleary, leader of the New South Wales Catholic Federation. The party contested the 1920 state election unsuccessfully, but in 1922 had its only ever electoral success, with Cyril Fallon being elected as one of the five members for Eastern Suburbs. Although generally supporting Labor, Fallon acted as a virtual independent and the party soon dissolved; Fallon stood as an Independent Catholic in 1925.
It was not related to the Democratic Party, a conservative party that contested the 1944 state election.
References
The Michigan Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Brandon Dillon is the current Party Chair.Lavora Barnes is the Party's Chief Operating Officer.
Current officeholders
The Michigan Democratic Party controls none of the four statewide offices and holds a minority of seats in the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate. They hold both of Michigan's U.S. Senate seats, five of the state's 14 U.S. House seats, and majorities on the State Board of Education and the elected governing boards of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University.