Understanding the Transformation of Germanys CDU

This book analyses the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), one of Europes most successful and influential political parties. The CDU might have been expected to struggle in the circumstances of a more diverse, secular reunified Germany, yet it has prospered to an extent almost unparalleled in western Europe. Chapters consider the CDUs policies (the factors driving them, their variation across Germany, the relationship to women, and the welfare state), its organisational development and change, and its position within the party system. Contributors particularly emphasise the diversity of the CDU, and the way it varies across Germanys regions. The CDU is compared to other Christian Democratic parties, and special consideration is given to the CDUs Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). This book was published as a special issue of German Politics.