The Battle for the Catholic Past in Germany, 1945–1980

Mark Edward Ruff re-examines the bitter controversies in the Federal Republic of Germany over the Catholic Church's relationship to the Nazis.

Mark Edward Ruff (Author)

9781316640760, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 March 2020

410 pages, 25 b/w illus.
15.5 x 23 x 2.5 cm, 0.6 kg

'Future historians beginning work on this subject would do well to consult The Battle for the Catholic Past as both an indispensable guide to the field's historiographical genealogy, and simultaneously an aid for discerning those topics and methodologies neglected by the post-war period's culture wars, and thus required to break new intellectual ground.' Thomas Brodie, European History Quarterly

Were Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church in Germany unduly singled out after 1945 for their conduct during the National Socialist era? Mark Edward Ruff explores the bitter controversies that broke out in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1945 to 1980 over the Catholic Church's relationship to the Nazis. He explores why these cultural wars consumed such energy, dominated headlines, triggered lawsuits and required the intervention of foreign ministries. He argues that the controversies over the church's relationship to National Socialism were frequently surrogates for conflicts over how the church was to position itself in modern society - in politics, international relations and the media. More often than not, these exchanges centered on problems perceived as arising from the postwar political ascendancy of Roman Catholics and the integration of Catholic citizens into the societal mainstream.

Introduction
1. The first postwar anthologies, 1945–9
2. The battles over the reichskonkordat, 1945–57
3. Generation gaps and the Böckenförde controversy
4. Gordon Zahn versus the German hierarchy
5. The storm over the deputy
6. Guenter Lewy and the battle for sources
7. The Repgen–Scholder controversy
Conclusions.

Subject Areas: 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], European history [HBJD]