The Kulturkampf, meaning culture struggle, was a conflict between the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and the Catholic Church in the newly formed German Empire, which began in Prussia. Bismarck distrusted the loyalty of Catholics to the state, and of the Catholic Centre Party, and he feared the power of the pope. The government expelled the Jesuits, put education under state control, introduced civil marriage, and, in the May Laws, subjected the training and appointment of priests to state supervision. Many bishops and priests were imprisoned or went into exile. The policy backfired, strengthening Catholic unity and the Centre Party, and Bismarck, who needed Catholic votes, gradually reversed course after the election of Pope Leo XIII.
Before and after
- October 1871Schliemann begins digging at Hisarlik
- 18 October 1871Mudan Incident of 1871
- 24 October 1871Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871
- 1872Publication of Around the World in Eighty Days
- from 1872 to 1878Kulturkampf
- 1872Impression, Sunrise
- 1872Founding of Tokyo National Museum
- 1872Founding of Paris Institute of Political Studies
- March 1872Founding of Rangers F.C.
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 15 July 1799The Rosetta Stone is found
- 16 March 1815Founding of Kingdom of the Netherlands
- 27 September 1822Champollion deciphers the hieroglyphs
- from 1 March 1867 to 28 October 1918Austria–Hungary
- 7 August 1908Discovery of Venus of Willendorf
- 24 July 1911Hiram Bingham reaches Machu Picchu
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.