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BISMARCK AND THE CENTRE PARTY 1871-1890

The Centre Party opposed Bismarcks' politic and when he concerned himself with the internal affairs of the Catholic Church as well as education a conflict broke out. This conflict is named "Kulturkampf"..
The Kulturkampf began with the Proclemation of the doctrine of Papal Infallibility (The Vatican Council in 1870 declared that the Pope was protected by God from error when defining belief in matters of faith and morals on his own authority).
Several German priests and laypeople (especially professors and teachers) refused to accept this doctrine and formed a seperate body which they called "The Old Catholics". The Catholic Bishops excommunicated them and demanded their removal from their teaching positions.
Bismarck now decided to step into this conflict because:

Bismarck thought that the political attitude of the Centre Party was hostile to the German Imperial Constitution. Their political leader was not in Germany - it was the Pope in Rome...

One of the few political demands the Centre Party expressed was a more federal, decentralized state where their was a limitation of state expenditure. This was completely the opposite of Bismarcks politics at this time...

Since the party had no defined political principles it was more of an interest party of the Roman Catholic Church. The party co-operated with other politicians and/or political parties as long as the rights of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany was upheld. This prime principle that the Roman Catholic Church was more important than anything else made Bismarck fear that they would seek support from other Catholic countries like Austria and France

Since several of the liberals were anti-clerical Bismarck had the support necessary for trying to destroy the Centre Party

The first thing Bismarck did was to refuse the dismissal of the "Old Catholics". He also demanded that a number of churches should be handed over to the "Old Catholics". This made the Centre Party start a campaign against Bismarck and his liberal supporters.

Bismarck replied to this campaign in 1872 by withdrawing the German envoy from the Vatican. With the support of the liberal majority in the Reichstag he also passed several measures against the Centre Party and the Catholic Church in the German Empire during the next coming three years;

The Jesuits were expelled from Germany in 1872

A State inspection of schools was introduced in 1872

Civil marriage was made obligatoric (whether it was followed by a religous ceremony or not)

In Prussia he passed several laws in 1873 (often called the "May Laws"):

All ecclesiastical appointments were put under State control and it was only Germans who could be appointed

The theological colleges were put under State inspection

The clergy education and the Church schools was also put under State inspection

It was forbidden for a Priest to threat with excommunication

Several religous orders were dissolved or expelled

These measures made Pope Pius IX react. He declared the May Laws "null and void". He gave his blessing to his clergy in their resistment against the new laws. In 1876 every Prussian Bishop was in prison and 1400 parishes were without a Priest in charge.
The reaction in Germany was the opposite from what Bismarck wanted. The Church gained sympathy and the Roman Catholics now rallied to the Centre Party. They doubled their seats in the Prussian Landtag and increased their numbers in the German Reichstag. Bismarck was now in a hopeless situation:

The Conservatives did not support Bismarck. They did not want the State controlled secular education and they did not like the institution of Civil marriage

Emperor Wilhelm I shared the Conservative views

Bismarck also feared a possible alliance between the Centre Party and SPD (Socialists) against the government

The Kulturkampf endangered the relation with Austria. If the situation got worse Austria could try to find an understanding and a new ally in France

When Pope Pius IX died in 1878 Bismarck began direct negotiations with the new Pope - Leo XIII. He also dismissed Adalbert Falk - the Prussian Minister of Religous Affairs (1879). By 1887 all the restrictions on the Church were removed except:

the expulsion of the Jesuits

State inspection of schools

Civil marriage

This was Bismarcks' first political defeat. He had made a few political gains but he definitely failed to destroy the German Centre Party (he actually "helped" them to transform into a purely religous political party)...

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