The Kulturkampf

What were the reasons for the Kulturkampf?

• 2/3 of Germans were Protestant.

• The Pope had condemned every major principle that liberals stood for.

• The Vatican Council laid down the doctrine of papal infallibility. This ruled that papal pronouncements on matters of faith could not be easily questioned.

• This caused great alarm in liberal circles and it seemed that Catholicism would interfere in the Reich’s domestic affairs and support reactionary causes.

• They saw this as a struggle of life or death for freedom and progress from going backwards.

What was Bismarck’s view on Catholicism?

• He was a Protestant so viewed them with suspicion.

• This was emphasised since many minorities were Catholic, such as the Poles, who had no desire to be within the Reich.

• Saw the success of the Centre Party in 1871 as a danger to unity, believing the politicians would encourage disobedience among Catholics when policies conflicted with the Church.

Who were the ‘Old Catholics‘?

• Around 5,000 Catholics who didn’t agree with the decree on papal infallibility and broke from the Church.

• When Old Catholic teachers and professors were dismissed by Catholic bishops it gave Bismarck an excuse to attack the Church.

• He maintained that the government was committed to religious toleration and condemned the Church’s actions in a series of articles in 1872.

What actions were taken agains the Catholic Church?

• 1872 - Catholic schools were taken under the supervision of the state.

• 1872 - Jesuit order was banned.

• 1873 - May Laws. E.g. candidates for priesthood had to go to a non-religious university before training.

• 1874 - marriage was made a civil event.

• 1875 (climax) - Prussia was able to suspend subsidies to the Church where the legislation was resisted.

• 1875 - all religious orders (except nursing orders) were dissolved.

• Clergy could be fined, imprisoned or expelled if they failed to comply. By 1876 all but two Prussian bishops were in exile or house arrest.

What were the results of the Kulturkampf?

• Considerable opposition.

• The Pope threatened excommunication to those who complied to the laws.

• Only 30/10,000 Prussian Catholic priests complied.

• Catholic communities sheltered the priests and maintained their culture.

• The Centre Party gained seats in the Reichstag.

• Some Protestants also opposed since it also influenced their role in education.

• Many on the left disliked the violation of civil rights.

• Bismarck had underestimated the enemy and they had more support than he expected. It had opened a rift between the Reich and the Catholics and increased disunity.

How did the Kulturkampf end?

• Bismarck wanted the Centre Party on his side against socialism.

• He negotiated with the new pope.

• He reduced some of the anti-Catholic measures such as the exiled clergy being allowed to return.

• Not all laws were reduced, such as the ban on the Jesuits and marriage being civil.