Christian Democracy and the Origins of European Union

This is a major new study of the role of European Christian democratic parties in the making of the European Union. Based on extensive archival research, it radically re-conceptualises European integration in long-term historical perspective as the outcome of partisan competition of political ideologies and parties and their guiding ideas for the future of Europe. Wolfram Kaiser takes a comparative approach to political Catholicism in the nineteenth century, Catholic parties in interwar Europe and Christian democratic parties in postwar Europe and studies these parties' cross-border contacts and coordination of policy-making. He shows how well-networked party elites, by intensifying their cross-border communication and coordinating their political tactics and policy-making in government, ensured that the origins of European Union were predominately Christian democratic, with considerable long-term repercussions for the present-day EU. This is a major contribution to the new transnational history of Europe and to the history of European integration.

Major study of the role of European Christian democratic parties in the making of the European Union. It radically re-conceptualises European integration in long-term historical perspective as the outcome of partisan competition of political ideologies and parties and their guiding ideas for the future of Europe. Wolfram Kaiser takes a comparative approach to political Catholicism in the nineteenth century, Catholic parties in interwar Europe and Christian democratic parties in postwar Europe and studies these parties' cross-border contacts and co-ordination of policy-making. He shows how well networked party elites ensured that the origins of European Union were predominately Christian democratic, with considerable repercussions for the present-day EU. The elites succeeded by intensifying their cross-border communication and coordinating their political tactics and policy making in government. This is a major contribution to the new transnational history of Europe and the history of European integration.

Introduction; 1. All paths to Rome? Transnational Catholicism in the nineteenth century; 2. Under siege: Catholic parties in interwar Europe; 3. After Versailles: left-Catholic cooperation; 4. In the shadow of dictatorship: contacts in exile; 5. Hegemony by default: Christian democracy in postwar Europe; 6. Creating core Europe: the rise of the party network; 7. Deepening integration: the supranational coalition embattled; 8. Informal politics: from Rome to Maastricht.

A radical study of the role of European Christian democratic parties in the making of the European Union. It re-conceptualises European integration in long-term historical perspective as the outcome of the partisan competition of political ideologies and parties and their guiding ideas for the future of Europe.