The Kulturkampf

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The position of the Catholics BEFORE the Kulturkam

Before the Kulturkampf, what were the lives of Catholics in Germany like:

  • Catholics were left to their own devices.
  • Catholics felt threatened because they were overpowered by Protestants. This was because:
    • 60% of the German population were protestants, whilst the remaining 40% were Catholic.
    • Therefore, Catholics were the minority, meaning they did not fit in the new German state.
  • Many catholics supported the Centre Party (set up to represent the Catholic religion).
  • Bismarck saw them as disloyal because many came from Italy.
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Protestant position before the Kulturkampf

Compared to the Catholics, Protestants were in a better position during Bismarck's Chancellorship because:

  • Protestants were protected by Bismarck, who agreed with their religion.
  • They were the majority, casting a shadow over Catholics.
  • It was believed that the new German state was the home of protestants.
  • Bismarck wanted protestants to remain his supportive ally within the German state, as many supported the Conservative party, meaning he did not want them to feel threatened.
  • It was believed that protestants had a better argument for politics.
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Political representation of the Catholics

How were the Catholics represented in politics:

  • The Centre Party represented catholics, making them more powerful.
  • This party joined forces with the South Germans, Poles and people from Alsace Lorraine, meaning they became a threat to Bismarck's vision of German unity.
  • The Centre Party became a bigger threat to Bismarck when they became the SECOND LARGEST party in the Reichstag.
  • This was enabled by the support they recieved by Catholics who were mainly in the working class, middle or upper classes, or were peasants.
  • They also promoted greater self rule for the individual states.
  • They also objected to state interference in the education system, meaning schools needed to promote Catholic religion.
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Why did Bismarck support protestants?

Bismarck opposed catholics and supported protestants because:

  • Bismarck was a strong protestant himself.
  • He wanted to unify and consolidate the new German state, which cartholics were a threat to because they supported the rights of the individual states.
  • The success of the Centre Party was a threat to the empire's unity.
  • Bismarck believed that some politicians would promote civil disobedience amongst Catholics. whenever the policies of the state came in to conflict with those of the church.
  • The Centre Party became a forum for opponents of the state.
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What was the trigger for the Kulturkampf?

The Kulturkampf was triggered by a number of reasons including:

  • A group of 5000 Catholics refused to accept the papal infallibility and broke up with the church., because they didn't want the pope to change his religion to spite Bismarck.
  • This had led to the dismissal of Catholic teachers and professors by Bishops.
  • This allowed Bismarck was launch his attack on the Catholic Church, during this time of division amongst the church.
  • He used this by claiming that was Catholic chirch was not allowing religious toleration, condemning their actions in a series of newspaper articles in 1872.
  • This was the start of the Kulturkampf.
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Actions of the Kulturkampf

The Kulturkampf was a gradual campaign of Bismarck's against the Catholics:

  • 1872:
    • Catholic schools were under supervision of the state.
    • The Jersuit Order was disallowed to set up establishments in Germany, therefore state govts had the power to remove Jesuits (strick catholic order).
  • 1873:
    • The May Laws, introduced by Dr Falk, were a series of measures which aimed to bring the Catholic church under state control.
  • 1875:
    • Prussia was able to suspend payments made to churches where priests resisted legislation.
    • Religious orders were dissolved.
    • Only 2 Catholic Bishops remained and more than 1000 Catholic bishops were suspended.
    • Catholic weddings were no longer valid.
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Results of Kulturkampf

The result of the Kulturkampf includes:

  • There was much opposition to this campaign because it was very repressive.
  • There was a catholic counter attack from the Pope, who threatened to ex-communicate priests.
  • The majority of Catholic priests failed to submit, who were supported by communities.
  • Strength of the Centre Party increased, as they won 91 seats in the Reichstag in 1874.
  • Many Protestants were concerned with the policy.
  • Those on the Left felt it was a threat to civil rights and undermined freedom of conscience.
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How did the Kulturkampf fail

The Kulturkampf was a failure for Bismarck, who accepted this:

  • Kulturkampf had created more problems for him, as he miscalculated it.
  • Instead of unifying Germany, it had increased disunity within the Empire, as it caused division.
  • As socialism was rising as Bismarck's newest threat, Bismarck now wanted to rely on the Centre Party for their support to use against socialism.
  • By the end of the Kulturkampf in 1878, there was an improvement in the relationship between Bismarck and catholics.
  • The Centre Party would now be used as a way to gain support for a Conservative, Protectionist and anti-Socialist agenda.
  • Therefore, in a sense, the failure of the Kulturkampf turned into an advantage.
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