Christian Democratic Union of Germany (1990: Two Germanies)

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (German: Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands, CDU) is a West German Christian Democratic political party founded in 1945 following the collapse of the Nazi regime. The party was formed by, mainly, members of the catholic Centre Party, but also consisted of members from the liberal German Democratic Party, the national-conservative German National People's Party and the national liberal German People's Party.

With members from so many different parties, and the fact that the party have been a main party in West Germany, the CDU have, over time, developed into a big tent party for christian democrats, conservatives, liberal conservatives, centrists, social conservatives, etc.

Until the 1990s, the CDU acted as the biggest West German political party. But after the failed attempt to unite East and West Germany, the CDU fell in popularity. It's Bavarian counterpart, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, suffered from the rise of the Bavaria Party and Bavarian nationalism.

On the federal level, the fall of CDU led to the rise of SPD and the Republicans. Many national and social conservative members have over the years gone towards the latter.