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I posted this because someone called Merkel's Christian Democrat political party in Germany "Socialist" and I wanted to post this article from 1953 TIME magazine on the Christian Democrats.

I post this to correct the political misconceptions many have.

Merkel’s party is the Christian Democratic party and is part of the Christian Democratic movement (not to be confused with the American party of the Democrats).

The Christian Democrats are responsible for creating the German economic miracle of the post WW2 era.

Yes, in America people like you would call them “socialists” but they are really not socialists but rather “harmonists” as in harmony or “Sphynocists” as in symphony.

They follow the Catholic philosophy that all classes in a society should work together to avoid conflict so there is for example trade unions and private enterprise and the govt making sure the Union demands are not destructive and the company not unfair in treating the working.

It is not the American way - but I have to ask - the USA has been gutted of its industrial base these last decades or the crazy trading on Wall Street, so whose model is better from an economic standpoint? The German Christian Democratic Social Market one or the American one (known in economic circles as the Anglo-American model)?

Germany’s SPD is socialist. CDU are more right but the really conservative & pro-business party is the CSU or Christian Social Union and the FDP or Free Democratic Party.

CDU 31.2%, FDP 15.0% and CSU 7.2%.

The nice thing about Germany is they do not have a Muslim running the country.

Please... The Christian Democrats in Germany after WW2 were Socialist. The CDU (Christian Democratic Union) after WW2 called for "Christian Socialism" and wanted to nationalize industries. The post-war "Christian Democrat" movement was openly Socialist in it's platform. Please look up "Ahlener Programm" (Ahlen program) the Christian Democrat platform of 1947. It was "Christian Socialism" and anti-capitalism at it's best. The real difference was that it was socially conservative and pro-US and anti-Soviet. Economically it was leftist.

They came up in the 1950's with "Social Market Economy" and created a vast welfare state.

During this election Merkel nonstop reiterated that they want a "social market economy" and had constantly to refute suggestions that they would "cut back on welfare".

The Bavarian sister party of the CDU, the CDU ("Christian Social Union") understands itself as economically even more "social". Their platform this election was anti-capitalist welfare rethoric.

The only real pro-capitalism party in Germany is the FPD... the "classic liberals" (not in the US liberal meaning). They are free-marketeers but also socially liberal (pro-gay agenda etc.) Every other party is more or less etatist and socialist to some degree.

Here’s a slight overview and comparision between the most important german parties and their US counterparts.

- NPD - National Democratic Party (Nazis, comparable to the National Alliance in the US http://www.natall.com/ )

- Die Linke - Leftists ( far left, almost communists comparable to the Communist Party USA http://cpusa.org )

- Die Grünen - Green party (http://www.gp.org)

- FDP - Free Democratic Party/Liberals ( Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org)

- CDU/CSU - Christian Democratic/Social Union (www.gop.org)

- SPD - Social Democratic Party (www.democrats.org)