75 Years of the CDU: A Record of Success The Christian Democratic Union, founded after Germany's capitulation in 1945, has fundamentally changed the landscape of German political parties as an interdenominational people's party. It is undoubtedly the most successful party in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany and has provided the German Chancellor or Chancellor for over fifty years to date. The essays in this collection address the history of the CDU from various, sometimes controversial perspectives and divergent viewpoints. They not only discuss its historical role in German history but also illuminate its political and ideological foundations, its handling of the past due to the dual experience of dictatorship during the Nazi era and the SED regime, and not least its contribution to overcoming the division of Germany and to the integration of Europe.