The War against Catholicism: Liberalism and the Anti-Catholic Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Germany (Social History, Popular Culture, and Politics in Germany)

"A lucid, innovative work of top-flight scholarship. Gross shows us the depths of anti-Catholicism in nineteenth-century Germany; he explains why the German Kulturkampf had such force and why prominent liberals imagined it as a turning point not only in Germany but in world history." ---Helmut Walser Smith, Vanderbilt University "A marvelously original account of how the Kulturkampf emerged from the cultural, social, and gendered worlds of German liberalism. While not neglecting the 1870s, Gross's analysis directs historians' attention to the under-researched 1850s and 1860s-decades in which liberals' anti-Catholic arguments were formulated against a backdrop of religious revival, democratic innovation, national ambition, and the articulation of new roles for women in society, politics, and the church. The drama of these decades resonates in every chapter of Gross's fine study." ---James Retallack, University of Toronto "Michael Gross has put the culture back into the Kulturkampf! Integrating social and political analysis with illuminating interpretations of visual and linguistic evidence, Gross explores the work of religious cleavage in defining German national identity. An emerging women's movement, liberal virtues, and Catholic difference come together to explain why, in a century of secularization, Germany's Catholics experienced a religious revival, and why its liberals responded with enmity and frustration. Vividly written and a pleasure to read, this groundbreaking study offers real surprises." ---Margaret Lavinia Anderson, University of California, Berkeley An innovative study of the relationship between the two most significant, equally powerful, and irreconcilable movements in Germany, Catholicism and liberalism, in the decades following the 1848 Revolution. After the defeat of liberalism in the Revolution of 1848, and in the face of the dramatic revival of popular Catholicism, German middle-class liberals used anti-Catholicism to orient themselves culturally in a new age. Michael B. Gross's study shows how anti-Catholicism and specifically the Kulturkampf, the campaign to break the power of the Catholic Church, were not simply attacks against the church nor were they merely an attempt to secure state autonomy. Gross shows that the liberal attack on Catholicism was actually a complex attempt to preserve moral, social, political, and sexual order during a period of dramatic pressures for change. Gross argues that a culture of anti-Catholicism shaped the modern development of Germany including capitalist economics, industrial expansion, national unification, and gender roles. He demonstrates that images of priests, monks, nuns, and Catholics as medieval, backward, and sexually deviant asserted the liberal middle-class claim to social authority after the Revolution of 1848. He pays particular attention to the ways anti-Catholicism, Jesuitphobia, and antimonastic hysteria were laced with misogyny and expressed deeper fears of mass culture and democracy in the liberal imagination. In doing so, he identifies the moral, social, and cultural imperatives behind the Kulturkampf in the 1870s. By offering a provocative reinterpretation of liberalism and its relationship to the German anti-Catholic movement, this work ultimately demonstrates that in Germany, liberalism itself contributed to a culture of intolerance that would prove to be a serious liability in the twentieth century. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars of culture, ideology, religion, and politics. After The Defeat Of Liberalism In The Revolution Of 1848 And During The Dramatic Revival Of Popular Catholicism, German Liberals Used Anti-catholicism To Orient Themselves Culturally In A New Age Of Capitalist Economics, Industrial Expansion, And National Unification. Michael B. Gross Argues That Anti-catholicism And Specifically The Kulturkampt, The Campaign Against The Catholic Church In The 1870s, Were Not Meant Simply To Break The Power Of The Church And Secure The Autonomy Of The State. He Demonstrates That The Liberals' Declaration Of War Against Catholicism And The Catholic Church Was Instead A More Complex Attempt To Preserve Moral, Social, Political, And Sexual Order During A Period Of Far-reaching Change. Gross Explores How Images Of Priests, Monks, Nuns, And Catholics As Medieval, Un-german, And Feminine Asserted The Liberal Middle-class Claim To Social Authority In The Decades Between The 1848 Revolution And German Unification. Anticlericalism, Jesuitphobia, And Antimonastic Hysteria Were, According To Gross, Ways For Liberals To Envision, As Well As Express Anxieties About, The Modern Identity Of Germany. He Shows That In The Liberal Imagination Was Laced With Misogyny And Coupled With Fears Of Mass Culture And Democratization. In Doing So, Gross Identifies The Social, Cultural, And Gendered Meaning Of The Kulturkampf. With An Interpretation Of Anti-catholicism And A Major Reappraisal Of The Kulturkampf, This Work Ultimately Demonstrates That In Germany, Liberalism Itself Contributed To A Culture Of Intolerance That Would Prove To Be A Serious Liability In The Twentieth Century. It Will Be Of Particular Interest To Students And Scholars Of Culture, Ideology, Religion, And Politics.--jacket. Revolution, The Missionary Crusade, And Catholic Revival -- Protestantism, Anti-catholicism, And The Reconstruction Of German Liberalism -- The Anti-catholic Imagination: Visions Of The Monastery -- The Women's Question, Anti-catholicism, And The Kulturkampf -- Kulturkampf, Unification, And The War Against Catholicism. Michael B. Gross. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 303-345) And Index. "After the defeat of liberalism in the Revolution of 1848 and during the dramatic revival of popular Catholicism, German liberals used anti-Catholicism to orient themselves culturally in a new age of capitalist economics, industrial expansion, and national unification. Michael B. Gross argues that anti-Catholicism and specifically the Kulturkampf, the campaign against the Catholic Church in the 1870s, were not meant simply to break the power of the church and secure the autonomy of the state. He demonstrates that the liberals' declaration of war against Catholicism and the Catholic Church was instead a more complex attempt to preserve moral, social, political, and sexual order during a period of far-reaching change." "Gross explores how images of priests, monks, nuns, and Catholics as medieval, "un-German," and feminine asserted the liberal middle-class claim to social authority in the decades between the 1848 Revolution and German unification. Anticlericalism, Jesuitphobia, and antimonastic hysteria were, according to Gross, ways for liberals to envision, as well as express anxieties about, the modern identity of Germany. He shows that in the liberal imagination was laced with misogyny and coupled with fears of mass culture and democratization. In doing so, Gross identifies the social, cultural, and gendered meaning of the Kulturkampf." "With an interpretation of anti-Catholicism and a major reappraisal of the Kulturkampf, this work ultimately demonstrates that in Germany, liberalism itself contributed to a culture of intolerance that would prove to be a serious liability in the twentieth century. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars of culture, ideology, religion, and politics."--BOOK JACKET. "After the defeat of liberalism in the Revolution of 1848, and in the face of the dramatic revival of popular Catholicism, German middle-class liberals used anti-Catholicism to orient themselves culturally in a new age. Michael B. Gross's study shows how anti-Catholicism and specifically the Kulturkampf--the campaign to break the power of the Catholic Church--were not simply attacks against the church, nor were they merely an attempt to secure state autonomy. Instead, Gross shows that the liberal attack on Catholicism was actually a complex attempt to preserve moral, social, political, and sexual order during a period of dramatic pressures for change. By offering a provocative reinterpretation of liberalism and its relationship to the German anti-Catholic movement, this work ultimately demonstrates that in Germany, liberalism itself contributed to a culture of intolerance that would prove to be a serious liability in the twentieth century. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars of culture, ideology, religion, and politics"--Publisher's description For obvious and irrefutable reasons, anti-Judaism in the nineteenth century and particularly anti-Semitism after the 1870s have received considerable attention from historians of modern Germany.