ABSTRACT
Since the emergence of Christian Democracy as a significant political movement in many western European countries after 1945, Christian Democrats have been to the fore of the movement for European unity. Britain's first two applications to join the European Community (EC)—the first by Macmillan's Conservative Government in 1961 and the second by Wilson's Labour Government in 1967—both fell foul of a French veto. The principal EC Christian Democratic parties—the German, the Italian and the Belgian—all voiced support for British membership. Christian Democrats have tended to emphasise the importance of a strong civil society, guided by "Christian principles," as a counter to the power of the state. Although the family is extolled as the most important unit—which inclines Christian Democracy towards a highly conservative position on family policy and sexual politics—recognition is also given to the multiplicity of citizens' organisations which comprise civil society.
