Introduction
Proper implementation of policies is essential in the development of any nation, group or organization. In fact, lack thereof compromises the possibility of a unit succeeding in its endeavors. As such, it is imperative to establish proper methodologies in dealing with the enactment of policies to foster development (Peterson and Manuel 193). With this in mind, it is worth mentioning the role of the liberalists in the elaboration of the Latin Americas. Precisely, the Christian Democrats have undergone multiple challenges over the years to secure the welfare of their policies in the political system. The ideologies upheld by this group sought to eliminate the conventional perspective about equality and fairness in the governorship (Davis 548). On the contrary, they were focused at breaching the gap between the poor and the influential by overriding social policies, fostering recognition to their constitutional democracy and securing people’s right to strive freely for economic and political self-realization. For a fact, the revolutionary ideas of the church in the nineteenth and twentieth century played a great role in the evolution of the Latin America.
Roles of the Christian Democratic Thought
The recognition of constitutional democracy in the political system
The reformist ideas of the church emphasized the importance of constitutional democracy in the maintenance of an efficient political system. Through this provision, Christian democracy associated the liberal ideas with the conservative values of ethics sustained in their religious doctrines. As such, the group upheld the essence of inalienable, and fundamental rights protected by the constitution for the betterment of the Latin nations such as Argentina. Through these provisions, the reformists ideas sought to bring a revolution to how the conventional political system was run. According to Chasteen and Joseph (66), the Christian liberalists maintained that the then government was not aimed at implementing effective initiatives designed to securing the welfare of the marginalized and the lesser influential in the society. Rather, this group somewhat diminished the fundamental principles of equality supported by the Christian doctrines. As such, Christian democracy was to restore the values upheld by their religion and integrate them in the political system.
The legal right to strive for economic and political self-realization
The Christian democrats were in pursuit of the statutory right to seek political and economic self-realization. As such, they castigated the existing economic policies as they did not foster individualism in development. Precisely, they were in search of a capitalistic economic ideology that did not involve any interference from the government in the management of financial affairs. According to Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (5), the Christian Democratic Organization was ready to give its standing on the planning and the implementation of economic development ideas in Latin America. Precisely, its ideologies were based on the possibility of establishing a rational and practical economic system that could foster capital investment and the development of the agrarian revolution initiatives. Additionally, it was aimed at changing the overall perception of international commerce by engaging more parties in the world affairs. These efforts would have been made possible by including the poor and marginalized communities in Latin America in the financial system. Peterson and Manuel (165) argues that the libertarian ideas from the church blamed the lack of financial improvements among a large section of the population on the false economic ideologies implemented by the then government.
The acceptance of responsibility
The Christian democrats emphasized the importance of accountability and inclination towards sharing it. Specifically, this group was against the authoritarian and centralized administrative system that was unaccountable to the misfortunes of the people in Latin America. Instead, they were in favor of shared responsibilities through the principles of personal responsibility and political decentralization. Their ruling agenda sought to engage the role of the citizens in the development of the nation and the formation of laws based on the conservative Christian doctrines that uphold the power of authority (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 34). Through these provisions, the revolutionary ideas of the church proposed an alternative perception towards family politics, vocational education and schooling. Precisely, the role of the government was to be outlined to the literate and illiterate population in the most conventional way. As such, they sought to abolish the existence of the totalitarian forms of government that were present in the previous centuries in favor of a more dynamic and centralized form of government.
Solidarity for the weaker
In the fifteenth and the sixteenth century, the Catholic Church had failed to restore equality between the rich and the poor through policy implementation. As such, a distinct social demarcation existed between the active members of the Latin community and the lesser influential. However, the Christian Democrats sought to restore solidarity among the weaker and abolish the pre-existing social distinctions. According to Peterson and Manuel (185), the establishment of charity and political reason would lead to the realization of the poor people’s welfare. This ideology was envisioned through the Christian Social Ethics that compelled believers into showing their concern towards the needy and poor. These policies were applied in the political and economic context to augment the citizens’ lives under a newer form of governance. It is worth mentioning that the main ideology behind the establishment of charity and equality rules was not to merely secure the welfare of the marginalized. Rather, to empower them through their engagement in productive activities such as agriculture and free enterprise endeavors.
Enhance equality between the poor and influential
The reformist ideas of the church aimed at enhancing equality within the society. Precisely, the Christian democratic ideology advocated the importance of balance between the rich and the poor and the implementation of laws that favor social justice. According to Chasteen and Joseph (66), the liberalists were not against the laws used by the government to allocate financial resources or draft national budgets. However, they were against the measures taken in upholding the welfare of the lesser fortunate within the society. Precisely, they castigated the fact that inadequate reforms were made in the empowerment of the youth. Additionally, they were not in support of the overall societal perception towards the inferiority of women. The fact that the government failed to notice the adverse condition of the sick children within the community made it challenging to enhance equality in Latin America. As such, the Christian democrats were in pursuit of the change in this conservative perspective. They were in favor of the disintegration of the flawed community perspective and the establishment of a more equal and ethical society. As such, they utilized the Christian doctrines to enhance the welfare of the community by empowering the youth and women in a bid to restore societal equality.
The Christian democratic ideal sought to reverse the social and cognitive policies upheld by the citizens during the nineteenth and twentieth century. This is mainly attributed to the fact that they emphasized the importance of changing the human perception to a rather complete and religious perspective. Primarily, they described the human soul as an entire entity that has the freedom to make its decisions and to be free from a totalitarian government. Precisely, the fundamental human right upheld by the Christian doctrines such as the right to live and independence led to a change in people’s perspective on the role of religion in their lives. As such, they disputed the popular will of the law with what God would have wanted the society to do with the implementation of religious doctrines essential to the running of the government. According to Davies (546), the Christian democrats likened the failing government policies to the beliefs upheld by the gothic cathedrals in the earlier centuries. Precisely, this group believed that it was impossible for the misguided government policies to yield productive results without the inclusion of the Christian religious perspective. Consequently, they were successful in overriding the social and cognitive policies upheld by the Latin Americans.
Achievements of the revolutionary ideas
Undoubtedly, the initial reforms made by the Christian democratic thought have yielded productive results over the years. For instance, the establishment of a social market economy has been realized in the Latin Americas. This group envisioned the creation of a privileged market sector that is comprised of free entrepreneurial activities, ownership of private property and competition. Currently, the Latin America embraces a related market sector that has developed over the years based on the steady foundation established by the libertarian ideas of the church. Additionally, the enactment of equality principles has been successful in the governorship of these nations (Collins n.p). Specifically, the first demarcations that were pervasive in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have been reduced tremendously. As such, the harmonious society has impressive levels of equality courtesy of the provisions envisioned by the Christian libertarian thought.
The overall structure of the government in the modern Latin society has changed over the years. Precisely, self-realization from a social and political perspective have been achieved. The provisions proposed by the Christian democratic thought of the essence of democracy and the lack of a totalitarian government have come to pass. The fundamental human rights have been secured by the constitution courtesy of the provisions outlined by this reformist group. Consequently, one is justified to claim that the Christian liberalists made tremendous achievements in the establishment of a self-sustainable government founded on equality and ethical principles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Christian democratic thought made a huge impact on the evolution of the Latin America. Before the establishment of this movement, the Latin society experienced adverse forms of inequality in the distribution of resources, political and economic policing. As a result, a distinct form of social demarcation existed leading to the development of social classes. However, the intervention of the revolutionary ideas from the church sought to utilize scholarly knowledge to integrate equality principles upheld in the Christian doctrine into the government affairs. As such, the Christian democrats changed the political system and enhanced the effectiveness of the economic reforms it initiated by engaging women and the youth in the development of the society. The overall impacts of these changes fostered the emergence of solidarity among the weak, the recognition of constitutional democracy and acceptance of societal responsibility. Without a doubt, the libertarian ideas of the church in the nineteenth and twentieth century, played a great role in the evolution of the Latin America.
Works cited
Chasteen, John C, and Joseph S. Tulchin. "Liberalism and the Catholic Church." Problems in Modern Latin American History: A Reader. 1st ed. Wilmington: SR Books, 1994. 65-67. Print.
Collins, Bob. "Has the Religion/Political Landscape Really Changed?” NewsCut. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Davis, Harold E. "The Road to Follow." Latin American Thought: A Historical Introduction. 1st ed. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1972. 542-549. Print.
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. "Christian Democracy: Principles and Policy-Making." European and International Cooperation 2.4 (2011): 2-43. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Peterson, Anna Lisa, and Manuel A Vásquez. Latin American Religions. New York: New York University Press, 2008. Print.
