The Battle for the Catholic Past in Germany, 1945 - 1975

FAIN: FA-55804-11

Mark Edward Ruff
St. Louis University (St. Louis, MO 63103-2097)

The Battle for the Catholic Past in Germany, 1945-1975 seeks to explain the origins and development of the historical controversies surrounding the Roman Catholic Church's relationship to National Socialism. Focusing on the era from the end of the Second World War until the mid-1970s, it historicizes these debates by asking questions including: Why did these cultural wars emerge when they did? Why did they consume such energy, dominating headlines, triggering lawsuits and even requiring the intervention of Foreign Ministries during the Cold War? This monograph argues that the controversies over the church's relationship to National Socialism were frequently surrogates for another set of conflicts over how the church was to position itself in modern society--in politics, international relations, the media and the larger public sphere.