The Kulturkampf
3.5 / 5 based on 2 ratings
- Created by: Anna
- Created on: 12-05-13 15:43
10 points
- Actions against the Catholic Church
- Bismacrk and catholicism
- End
- May Laws
- Reasons for clash
- Results
- Syllabus of errors
- The 'Old Catholics'
- The Centre Party
1 of 10
Bismarck and Catholicism
- Bismarck protestant, biews Catholics with suspicion
- Wanted to unify and consolidate new Reich
- Saw success of Centre Party as danger to Empire's unity
- War against internal opponents of unification
- Put Bismarck as head of Protestant crusade
- Enabled him to work closely with the National Liberals in the 1870s
2 of 10
The Centre Pasrt
- German Catholics formed own party
- 1871, second largest party in the Reichstag
- Drawing support from all social strata
- Favoured greater self-rule for the component states of the Reich
- Objected to state interference in the Church's traditional sphere of influence: the education system
3 of 10
The 'Old Catholics'
- 5,000 refused to accept decree of papal infallibility and broke with the Church
- Old Catholic teachers and professors dismissed by Bishops gave Bismarck an excuse to attack
- Maintained that the Prussian government was committed to the principle of religous toleration
- Condemned Catholic Church's actions in a series of newspaper articles in 1872
4 of 10
Reasons for clash
- two thirds of Germany Protestant and one third Catholic
- Church and state came into conflict in several countries
- Vatican council laid down doctrine of papal infallibility
- Ruled that papal pronouncements on matters of faith and morals could not be questioned
- Papal measures aroused great alarm in liberal circles
- Future of mankind at stake
- Militant Catholicism would interfere in Reich's domestic affairs and support reactionary causes
- Liberals do battle with Catholic Church
- Life and detah struggle for freedom and process against forces of reaction
5 of 10
Syllabus of errors
Pope Pius IX condemned every major principle for which liberals stood:
- Freedom of Speech
- Freedom of the press
- Freedom of worship
- Freedom to form political associations and hold political meetings
6 of 10
Actions against the Catholic Church
- Legislation against the church passed by the Prussian Landtag, other state governments and the Reichstag
- Catholic schools brought under supervision of state
- Forbade Jesuit order to set up establishments and empowered state government to expel individual Jesuits
- May Laws introduced in 1873
- 1875, laws empowered Prussia to suspend subsidies to the Church in parishes where clergy resisted new legislation
- All religous orders dissolved
- Enforced vigorously by Falk
- 1876, all but 2 Prussian Catholic Bishops didn't abide by laws and were in excile or house arrest
- More than 1000 priests suspended from posts
7 of 10
May Laws
- May 1873, Dr Falk, Prussian Minister of religion and education
- Aimed to bring Catholic Church under state control
May Laws 1873:
- All candidates for priesthood had to attend a secular university before commencing training
- Religious appointments subject to state approval
- 1874 obligatory civil marriage introduced
Clergy could be fined, imprisoned or even expelled if they failed to comply with the May Laws
8 of 10
Results
- Not what Bismarck had hoped
- Met with considerable opposition
- Pope attacked, threatened to excommunicate those who obeyed the May Laws
- Only 30 of the 10,000 priests submitted to May Laws
- Catholic communities sheltered priests
- Hopes of destroying Centre Party backfired
- Strengthened rather than weakened
- Protestants opposed some of Kulturkampf legislation
9 of 10
End
- Failed. Bismarck had underestimated enemy (Catholic Church had more popular support than he had realised)
- Rift between Reich and Catholic subjects. Increased disunity and not removed it
- Anxious for Centre Party on his side against socialism
- Death of Pope Pius IX in 1873
- Successor Leo XIII was conciliatory and direct negotiation led to improved relations with Bismarck and Church
- Some anti-Catholic measures repealed
- Many May Laws still remained in force
- Sought to turn failure into an advantage by harnessing Catholic political power in the Reichstag to support conservative, protectionist and anti-socialist measures
10 of 10
Related discussions on The Student Room
- Threats to Stability - Germany 1871-1923 (AQA A level History) »
- Business useless? »
- History A Level Essay help »
- A Level History »
- A-level History NEA Coursework »
- History Alevel Sentence starter - 25 marker »
- History 2023 IGCSE Edexcel Question Predictions »
- Edexcel IGCSE History | DEPTH STUDIES »
- AQA A Level History Paper 1 (7042/1A to 1L) - 24 May 2023 [Exam Chat] »
- OCR A Level History Non-British period study: All Exams - 22 Jun 2022 [Exam Chat] »
Similar History resources:
0.0 / 5
0.0 / 5
3.5 / 5 based on 2 ratings
3.5 / 5 based on 2 ratings
2.0 / 5 based on 1 rating
4.5 / 5 based on 11 ratings
4.0 / 5 based on 1 rating
Comments
No comments have yet been made