Christian Democracy (, DC) was a Christian democratic political party in Italy. The DC was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield (scudo crociato). A Roman Catholic, centrist, catch-all party comprising both right- and left-leaning political factions, the DC played a dominant role in the politics of Italy for 50 years from its inception in 1944 until its final demise in 1994 amid a nationwide judicial investigation of systemic political corruption. The party was nicknamed the White Whale (Balena bianca).