Christian democracy is a conservative political ideology that emerged after World War II. The ideology was originally conceived as a combination of traditional Catholic beliefs and modern democratic ideals, and it later grew to include Protestant teachings in Protestant countries. Christian democracy became a powerful force after the end of the Second World War in 1945, with the Christian Democratic Union of Konrad Adenauer becoming a major political party in postwar Germany. The movement gained traction in both postwar Europe and in Latin America, where it emerged as a viable alternative to both socialism and authoritarianism. Christian democracy is considered to be center-right, as it advocates social conservatism while holding liberal views on labor issues, civil rights, and foreign policy. Christian democraacy's openness to economic liberalism and (in Europe) to European integration ensured considerable middle-class and commercial support, and the success of Christian democrats had been a crucial factor in the political stability of post-war Europe, since it was the absence of moderate conservative parties that had contributed to the weakness of these political systems in early twentieth-century continental Europe.