Establishing a National Identity
Kulturkamph (“culture struggle”)- Bismarck’s attempts to
weaken Catholic church
Prussia (except the Rhineland) and other northern states were
protestant but 1/3 population (mainly southern states) were Catholic.
Bismarck therefore saw the Roman Catholic Church as a threat to
political power. The 3 main objectives for Bismarck’s Kulturkampf
were to: Establish State control over Catholic church, weaken the
Catholic Centre Party and to increase national unity.
Establish State control over Catholic Church
· Catholic Department of the Prussian Ministry of Culture
abolished (1871)
· In 1872, the Jesuits (extreme Catholics) were expelled from
Germany.
· The May laws of 1873 allowed the gvt to supervise the
education
of the Roman Catholic clergy, and curtailed the disciplinary
powers of the church.
· In 1875, civil ceremonies were required for weddings, which
could hitherto be performed in churches. Subsidies would be
suspended from 1875 to all churches who refused to comply.
· By 1876 10 of the 12 Catholic Bishops were in exile or under
house arrest. More than 1000 priests had been suspended.
Weaken the Catholic Centre Party
· Bismarck tried to get the Vatican and German bishops to
withdraw support for the party in 1872 but on the Vatican’s
refusal he stepped up anti-catholic measures.
· Bismarck worked with the mainly protestant National
liberals, wary of the Pope’s opposition to Liberal values to
govern and to suppress the Catholic centre party.
Increase National Unity
· Bismarck tried to ‘Germanize’ many of the Catholic
minorities living on the border (French in AlsaceLorraine, Danes in the north, Poles in the east).
· The Polish Language in Education and law Courts
and Alsace-Lorraine was ruled directly by Prussia as
a ‘special region’.
· The German Language was imposed in schools and
local administration (forced minorities to become
German).
The Result
Unfortunately for Bismarck, these measures only
encouraged support for the Church which thrived on
persecution and the Catholic Centre Party- 58 seats (1871)
grows to 91 (1874). He was therefore forced to abandon
the Kulturkampf in 1878 to preserve what political capital
he had left.
Successes
Bismarck’s attack on the Catholic Church holds
together his alliance with the National Liberals,
enabling him to govern, and it also does establish a
certain amount of State control over what were
previously Church areas.
Failures
However the rise in support of the Centre Party and
the Catholic Church makes the Kulturkampf a failure
for Bismarck and he is forced to back off.
· The opposition to the Unified regime makes the
country less united, rather than more so – despite
some increase in state control over the church, the
effort must be judged a failure.
Introduction-National Unity
Germany united 1871, but still divisions most notably on religious grounds.
Two-thirds Germany, mainly in Prussia and North, are Protestant. One third is
Catholic – Poles, Rhinelanders, southern Germans. Bismarck himself is
concerned about effects of these divides upon Germany - minorities are
Catholic, threatening unity. Also rise of Catholic Centre Party provides
opposition to his Germany.
· Bismarck very concerned with internal enemies in the years following
Unification.
· Universal German Workingmen’s Association formed in 1863 in Prussia –
moderate organisation to get more power for workers.
· 1869 – Social Democratic Workers’ Party – a Marxist party committed to
revolution.
· Combine in 1875 to form the German Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Declared aim: overthrow the existing order.
· Bismarck concerned – workers cannot be loyal to both a socialist organisation
and the state. SDP support growing – 12 seats, 500,000 votes in 1877. They
DO want to overthrow the government.
· Sets out to stop them by two methods:
· 1) Destroying the power of the SDP
· 2) Trying to win over the support of the working classes.
Paragraphs
1.Kulturekamph
2.Treatment of minorities
3.Treatment of socialists