Political movement that has a close association with Roman Catholicism and its philosophy of social and economic justice.
It incorporates both traditional church and family values and progressive values such as social welfare. After World War II, a number of Christian Democrat parties appeared in Europe, including the Italian Christian Democratic Party, the French Popular Republican Movement , and the most successful, the German Christian Democratic Union . The same period also saw the appearance of Christian Democrat parties in Latin America. Though most were small splinter groups, Christian Democrats eventually achieved power in Venezuela, El Salvador, and Chile.