"BismarckFailed To Control The Catholic Church In Germany" Discuss.

Seizing control over the German Church was attempted through the May Laws, which was in itself the cause of Bismarck’s failure in controlling it. The extreme measures contained in these laws were to force the ‘weak’ Catholics into utter submission. Without going into great detail of the May Laws the fundamental aim of this legislation was to make Germans attach more importance to the state than to the Church. This was done mainly by establishments such as: the state taking complete control over education, making Church appointments veto-able by the state, making civil marriage and state examinations for clergy (in philosophy, history and German literature) compulsory. Further on, most religious orders were closed down and the state discontinued maintenance for Catholic bishops and priests.

Contrary to Bismarck’s expectations, the reaction of the Church against these laws was exceptionally strong. The clerics built up a powerful and extraordinarily well-organised party, with great financial resources and influential press. This was the Catholic Centre Party, which informally already existed (since it consisted of Catholics). The May Laws only stimulated it into formal existence. It drew its strength from every social class – from Cardinals and Polish magnates to the industrial classes (due to the fact that the Church was forbidden to give much needed free schooling and welfare in poor areas) in the old ecclesiastical principalities. The party also drew support form minorities, e.g. Poles, French, and Danes. Furthermore, the party and the idea itself of opposing the Empire on this sensitive issue were reinforced by international support.

Bismarck tried to gain significant control over the German Catholic Church through the introduction of the May Laws. If, according to his expectations, the Catholics would have either not resisted or in the end succumbed to his will and accepted the legislation, he would have achieved his aim. The unexpected twist, however, was that the seemingly divided German Catholics united and opposed these laws in an exceedingly efficient, political way. Furthermore, Bismarck failed to note that by taking over matters such as education, vetoing church appointments, etc., of the German Catholic Church, he stumbled onto the main ideas of the Catholic Church, as a whole, which was an international institution; and a powerful to that, with tremendous resources, power and influences in Europe. It was only when he faced the well-organised Catholic Centre Party, backed up by the whole Catholic Church, did he realise that his failure of controlling the Church lay in his misjudgment of the Catholics’ response.

Nevertheless, the government made no effort to enlist the sympathy of educated Catholics for the cause of freedom of opinion, which might have lessened the fierce and united Catholics’ riposte thus leading to compromise on the issue of the May Laws, instead of complete withdrawal from the idea. Furthermore, a subtler legislation against the Catholics might have not caused such a united stance against the state hence gaining some control over the German Catholic in place of none.