JEDER TREU AUF SEINEM POSTEN: GERMAN CATHOLICS AND KULTURKAMPF PROTESTS by Jennifer Marie Wunn (Under the Direction of Laura Mason) ABSTRACT The Kulturkampf which erupted in the wake of Germany’s unification touched Catholics’ lives in multiple ways. Far more than just a power struggle between the Catholic Church and the new German state, the conflict became a true “struggle for culture” that reached into remote villages, affecting Catholic men, women, and children, regardless of their age, gender, or social standing, as the state arrested clerics and liberal, Protestant polemicists castigated Catholics as ignorant, anti-modern, effeminate minions of the clerical hierarchy. In response to this assault on their faith, most Catholics defended their Church and clerics; however, Catholic reactions to anti- clerical legislation were neither uniform nor clerically-controlled. Instead, Catholics’ Kulturkampf activism took many different forms, highlighting both individual Catholics’ personal agency in deciding if, when, and how to take part in the struggle as well as the diverse factors that motivated, shaped, and constrained their activism. Catholics resisted anti-clerical legislation in ways that reflected their personal lived experience; attending to the distinctions between men’s and women’s activism or those between older and younger Catholics’ participation highlights individuals’ different social and communal roles and the diverse ways in which they experienced and negotiated the dramatic transformations the new nation underwent in its first decade of existence. Investigating the patterns and distinctions in Catholics’ Kulturkampf activism illustrates how Catholics understood the Church-State conflict, making clear what various groups within the Catholic community felt was at stake in the struggle, as well as how external factors such as the hegemonic contemporary discourses surrounding gender roles, class status, age and social roles, the division of public and private, and the feminization of religion influenced their activism. Through their efforts to defend the Church’s rights and honor clerics who refused to submit to the anti-clerical legislation, Catholics defended both a shared Catholic Weltanschauung as well as their own personal interests. Catholic Kulturkampf activism took multiple forms, reflecting the different ways that Catholics negotiated their personal encounters with the processes of modernity and nation-building. INDEX WORDS: Kulturkampf, Catholic Church, Germany, Church History, Ultramontane, History, Nineteenth Century, North Rhine-Westphalia, Political Catholicism, Church and State, Center Party JEDER TREU AUF SEINEM POSTEN: GERMAN CATHOLICS AND KULTURKAMPF PROTESTS by JENNIFER MARIE WUNN B.A. Mercer University, 1998 M.A. University of Georgia, 2000 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2014 © 2014 Jennifer Marie Wunn All Rights Reserved JEDER TREU AUF SEINEM POSTEN: GERMAN CATHOLICS AND KULTURKAMPF PROTESTS by JENNIFER MARIE WUNN Major Professor: Laura Mason Committee: Miranda Pollard David D. Roberts John Short Electronic Version Approved: Julie Coffield Interim Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2014 DEDICATION: I dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Peggy and Sonny Wunn, for their constant support throughout the long years of research and writing. Without your love, encouragement, and understanding, I could never have seen this project through. Thank you. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation owes its existence to the tremendous help that I have received from family, friends, and colleagues over the years. It is with great pleasure that I am able to express my gratitude here. The generous financial support afforded to me by the University of Georgia Graduate School and the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts helped to fund my research in Germany. The University of Georgia’s History Department also contributed to my research expenses and their financial assistance allowed me to present my work at several conferences. I was also fortunate enough to receive a Gregory Summer Dissertation Completion Award that funded the project’s crucial final months. The course of my research took me to multiple archives and libraries, all of which I wish to thank for their professionalism and help in the research process. I am grateful to the staff at all of these institutions but especially those at the Stadtarchiv Münster, the Landeshauptarchiv in Koblenz, the Bibliothek des Bischöflichen Priesterseminars Trier, and the Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn. Barbara Steinberg went above and beyond to help my research at the Bistumsarchiv in Münster, including putting me in touch with Alfred Reimann, who made possible my visit to Donsbrüggen’s parish archive. I am extremely grateful to them both. In the USA, I would like to offer a special thank you to the staff of the University of Georgia’s Interlibrary Loan Department for their continual efforts to secure micro-film, books, articles, and various other research materials on my behalf. I would also like to extend a special v thank you to Shelia Barnett for her unending patience with a graduate student whose perpetual absence from campus made the usual bureaucratic procedures even more complicated and Laurie Kane, who keeps the History Department running and has helped me through this process in more ways than I could count. I am tremendously indebted to my advisor, Laura Mason, who unselfishly gave of her time, wisdom, and encouragement. She believed in me and this project at times that I did not; her sharp and creative mind continually challenged me to improve. I am extremely grateful for her unyielding support. I would also like to thank the members of my committee: David D. Roberts supervised my Master’s Thesis all those years ago, encouraged my desire to return for the PhD, and has continued to provide intellectual support and guidance. Miranda Pollard challenged me to take gender history seriously and has been an unfailing advocate and friend. Early in the dissertation process, John Short wisely advised me to always remember that I also had a “German life.” I am grateful for all of their efforts on my behalf. I would also like to thank Rebecca Bennette, Dennis Sweeney, and Raymond Sun, all of whom generously agreed to read various portions of the dissertation in progress and offered insightful comments and criticisms on the material. All remaining errors are my own. I am also grateful to Nick Stargart and Paul Betts for including me in both their weekly Modern History seminars and their bi-weekly meeting for graduate students in European History. I benefitted greatly from their comments on my work as well as the academic community and intellectual support system they created. Without the support of friends and colleagues, I could never have imagined, let alone completed, this dissertation. At UGA, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by an incredible vi group of scholars who are even more amazing friends. I would like to thank Jim Gigantino, La Shonda Mims, Steve Nash, Kathi Nehls, Jenny Schwartzberg, and Zac Smith for their friendship, loyalty, and support. The same must also be said for Jim Nehls, Tammie Rosser, and Dennis Wilson, who know way more about history than they ever desired. Jason Manthorne remains a powerful force in all of our lives; his memory challenges us as scholars and human beings. I am exceedingly grateful for the support, suggestions, and friendship of the many people I met along the way. In Germany, I have been blessed by the friendship of Larissa and Martin Wille (who ensured that I experienced the fabled Brandenburg mosquitos first-hand), Barbara Wahl, Benedikt Brunner, Bard King, and Nelise Cornelissen. In the UK, David Macfaden, Jacques Schuhmacher, Ruby Paloma, and Will Cartmell made the transition to rain, warm ale, and mushy peas significantly easier through their kindness and humor. Kira Thurmann and Rebecca Carter-Chand shared my first scholarly adventure in Germany and have remained friends ever since. Jennifer Rodgers, Deborah Barton, Lauren Stokes, Ned Richardson-Little, Jane Freeland, and Sheldon Garon cheered me on through the stress of completion and made the past year in Berlin memorable. There are no words to adequately thank my family for all of their love and support; you have all been there for me through so much more than just this dissertation. My grandmother, Charlotte, shared my love of history; she and my grandfather, Robert, always offered me encouragement and unconditional love. My extended family in Ohio (Caren, Bobby, Tammy, Brian, Maddison, Daniel, Kylee and Maya) all followed my travels with great interest and welcomed me home with love and support. My aunt Brenda and uncle Joel made my many journeys possible and helped me to both work and relax. I am also incredibly grateful to my brother Chris and his wife Danielle for their love and friendship over the years and across the vii miles. My niece Arabella has been a constant source of joy from the moment she entered this world. My in-laws, Huw and Anna, inspire me with their commitment to the life of the mind. I would also like to thank my husband, Tom for all of his patience, love, and support. You carried me through this project’s rough patches and I could not have finished it without you. My dog, Dori, started this journey with me and still offers love and companionship as I write the final pages. Her endless pursuit of squirrels has taught me much about perseverance and strength of spirit. Above all, I must thank my parents, Peggy and Sonny. From childhood, you both encouraged me to believe in myself and follow my dreams. You’ve shared this project’s highs and lows and your faith in me has never waivered; you supported me completely and without question. I have benefitted from your wisdom, your friendship, and most especially, your unconditional love. It seems a small thing in return but I dedicate this dissertation to you both with lots of love.