Christian democracy has a long history of success in the Western European party systems. The original conflict between church and state over religious freedoms initially gave rise to political Catholicism, which, as a cross-class and cross-sector movement, laid the foundation for the establishment of Christian democratic parties after World War II. In contrast to social democracy or other political ideologies, Christian democracy has been relatively rarely the subject of research. However, the rapid rise of Forza Italia has led to increased scrutiny. The figure of Silvio Berlusconi, his rise, his views, and his political career have frequently been the focus of academic literature. His political creation, Forza Italia, is often addressed in research.