The 'Conservative Revolutionaries': The Protestant and Catholic Churches in Germany after Radical Political Change in the 1990s

Barbara Theriault

Published by Berghahn Books 2004

The 'Conservative Revolutionaries'

The Protestant and Catholic Churches in Germany after Radical Political Change in the 1990s

Barbara Theriault

Volume 14 in the series Monographs in German History

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781782387947

Overview
Contents

About this book

During the forty years of division, the Protestant and Catholic churches in Germany were the only organizations to retain strong ties and organizational structures: they embodied continuity in a country marked by discontinuity. As such, the churches were both expected to undergo smooth and rapid institutional consolidation and undertake an active role in the public realm of the new eastern German states in the 1990s. Yet critical voices were heard over the West German system of church-state relations and the public role it confers on religious organizations, and critics often expressed the idea that despite all their difficulties, something precious was lost in the collapse of the German democratic republic. Against this backdrop, the author delineates the conflicting conceptions of the Protestant and Catholic churches' public role and pays special attention to the East German model, or what is generally termed the "positive experiences of the GDR and the Wende."

Author / Editor information

Barbara Theriault is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Montreal. She was previously postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Center for German and European Studies (University of Montreal) and Kollegiat at the Max-Weber-Kolleg für Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften at the University of Erfurt.

Reviews

“…an intelligent and generally insightful analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing Protest and Catholic churches following the collapse of the German Democratic Republic…this book is unquestionably a valuable addition to the literature on religion and society in modern Germany.” · German Quarterly

“…a compelling understanding of both the institutional and cultural issues involved with unification…Perhaps the most interesting finding of this work is the extent ot which the religious orientation of the SED state, that is separation between church and state, lives onin the institution that was most vocally opposed to the state – the Protestant Church.” · German Studies Review

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Tables Publicly Available Download PDF	vi
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I: The Genesis of Church Models
Chapter 1. Church models as Guiding metaphors and Organizing Principles Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
Chapter 2. The Catholic and Protestant Guiding Metaphors in the GDR Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
Part II: The Transformation of Church Models
Chapter 3. The “Politics of Institutionalization”: An Analytical Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	49
Chapter 4. The Pastoral Care of Soldiers and Conscripts: A Paradigmatic Debate Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
Chapter 5. Religious Instruction: Living in a Secular World Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
Chapter 6. Social Welfare Provisions: At the Institutional Periphery Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	114
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	138
Appendixes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 200
Keywords: History: 20th Century to Present

eBook

Published: October 1, 2004
ISBN: 9781782387947