Like the credit cooperatives, credit unions form associations of a higher level, which are called corporate credit unions. Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. All the members of the credit union, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious and political beliefs, as well as the size of the monetary share have equal rights. The relationship between credit unions and shareholders arise from the membership and are not customer relationship. Credit unions, like today's credit unions, emerged in the 19th century in Germany as a result of crop failure and famine.