[14] Among the founders were Bishop Vilmos Apor, Béla Kovrig (president of the University of Cluj-Napoca), László Varga [hu], Count József Pálffy, ethnographer Sándor Bálint and political journalist István Barankovics.

Meanwhile, some party members were saying that Barankovics conceded too much to the communist-influenced authorities in return for too little, and there was growing friction between two factions: the Christian socialist left wing led by Barankovics and the conservative-clerical right wing led by József Mindszenty's confidant, József Pálffy.

The left wing gained increasing ascendancy in the party, and on 8 May 1945, Barankovics replaced Pálffy as president.

In 1949, Mátyás Rákosi asked Barankovics for the party's leaders to help him in the show trial against Cardinal Mindszenty, who was already ill in prison.

In the 1994 election, KDNP won 22 seats in the National Assembly and moved into opposition to the new coalition between the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ).

In the 2006 elections this alliance gained strength, winning 42.0% of the list votes and 164 representatives out of 386 in the National Assembly.

Although its ally Fidesz's membership has been suspended on 20 March 2019, and its MEPs left the European People's Party group on 3 March 2021, KDNP retained its European affiliation and their only MEP György Hölvényi remained the sole member of the EPP group from Hungary thereafter.

[24] The party emphasises traditional values on issues like abortion, family law, education and the role of the church more than Fidesz, which takes a more secular position.

Parliament voted on the issue on December 14, 2014[26] and the law came into effect on March 15, 2015[27] (a Sunday on which shops would have been closed anyway, the day being a public holiday in Hungary).

The government, rather than being forced to hold the referendum (which could have been interpreted as a huge success for the opposition party, even though the law was opposed by the majority of Fidesz voters too) lifted the ban in April 2016.