The Origins of Christian Democracy: Politics and Confession in Modern Germany

360 Pages·2014·1.511 MB·English

by  Maria D. Mitchell

The Origins of Christian Democracy

The Origins of Christian Democracy
Politics and Confession in Modern Germany
Maria D. Mitchell
The University of Michigan Press
Ann Arbor
Copyright © by the University of Michigan 2012
All rights reserved
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form
(beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except
by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publisher.
Published in the United States of America by
The University of Michigan Press
Manufactured in the United States of America
c Printed on acid- free paper
2015 2014 2013 2012 4 3 2 1
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Mitchell, Maria D., 1965–
The origins of Christian democracy : politics and confession in modern Germany /
Maria D. Mitchell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0- 472- 11841- 0 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978- 0- 472- 02854- 2 (e- book)
1. Christian democratic parties— Germany— History. 2. Christian democracy—
Germany— History. 3. Christianity and politics— Germany— History. I. Title.
JN3971.A979M56 2012
324.243'04— dc23 2012025924
Dedicated to
Paul and Carolyn Mitchell
and
Dietrich and Maria Orlow

Acknowledgments
If all books have long lives, this book has led a number of them. Along the way,
I have accumulated many debts of gratitude. At the University of Michigan
Press, sincere thanks go to Ellen Bauerle, Alexa Ducsay, Geoff Eley, Mary
Hashman, and Susan Whitlock for their patience and assistance. For institu-
tional support, I am very grateful to the Fulbright Commission; the Quadrille
Ball Committee of the Germanistic Society of America; the Friedrich- Ebert-
Stiftung; the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen; the German His-
torical Institute; the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies; the
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst; the American Council of Learned
Societies; Franklin & Marshall College; the Max- Planck- Institut für Ge-
schichte; the Abigail Quigley McCarthy Center for Women’s Research, Re-
sources, and Scholarship; the Gerda Henkel Stiftung; and the Graduate Insti-
tute of International and Development Studies. I owe my deepest appreciation
to Heinz Duchhardt, Ulrike Kretzschmar, Jutta Ries, Karl Otmar Freiherr von
Aretin, Christine Weil, and especially Stefana Dascalescu, Ralph Melville,
Claus Scharf, and Martin Vogt, for making the Institut für Europäische Ge-
schichte the remarkable place that it is. I will always treasure my time and re-
lationships forged there and the home that Mainz provided me.
I was fortunate to work with highly professional staff at the Bundesarchiv
Koblenz; Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln; Archiv für Christlich-
demokratische Politik, St. Augustin; Archiv der Stiftung Bundeskanzler-
Adenauer- Haus, Rhöndorf; Dom- und Diözesanarchiv Mainz; Hauptstaatsar-
chiv Düsseldorf; Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz; Institut für Zeitgeschichte
München; Geheimes Staatsarchiv Merseburg; the Deutsche Bibliothek; and the
National Archives and Records Administration. I am also grateful to Angela
Stirken of the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
Friends and fellow historians have played crucial roles in the development
and completion of this project. It is my pleasure to thank Doris Bergen, Drew
Bergerson, Volker Berghahn, Gerhard Besier, Frank Biess, David Blackbourn,
viii Acknowledgments
Rebecca Boehling, Dirk Bönker, Frank Bösch, Carl Caldwell, Noel Cary,
Roger Chickering, John Conway, Martin Conway, Susanne Dickfeld-
Teichmann, Ellen Evans, Antoine Grange, Ron Granieri, Michael Gross, Jussi
Hanhimäki, Lisa Heineman, Dagmar Herzog, Maria Höhn, Michael Hughes,
Paul Jaskot, Stathis Kalyvas, Tom Kselman, Hartmut Lehmann, Jay Locke-
nour, Alf Lüdtke, Helga Lüdtke, Fred McKitrick, Paul Misner, Bob Moeller,
Michael Phayer, Uta Poiger, Susan Porter, Diethelm Prowe, Gerhard Rings-
hausen, Mark Ruff, Holli Schauber, Hanna Schissler, Greg Schroeder, Helmut
Walser Smith, Julie Sneeringer, Tony Steinhoff, Patty Stokes, Till van Rahden,
and Jonathan Wiesen. I am especially grateful to Aleksandar- Saša Vuletić for,
among other things, locating Helmut Kohl’s dissertation. Tony Judt was very
helpful when our paths crossed in Vienna; his death remains a profound loss
for many.
As an undergraduate and graduate school student, I took one course with
a female professor, Kristin Bumiller. For her inspiration by example, I thank
her. At Franklin & Marshall College, Alexis Castor has been an enthusiastic
word counter, Annette Aronowicz an engaging interlocutor, and Cecile Zorach
a treasured fellow Germanist. Special thanks go to her and to Richard March
for their contribution to this project through the Franklin & Marshall College
Hackman Scholarship program. In Europe, the de Syon family has offered a
headquarters and many a delicious repas. Je vous en remercie. I am also grate-
ful to Chee Chia and James Spicher for their professionalism and care.
My mother taught me respect for the influence of organized religion and
community. My father taught me to value politics and history. Both modeled
the importance of family and fortitude while encouraging my ambitions. In a
sense, this book lies at the intersection of all their life lessons. Dietrich Orlow
was my best academic mentor. From Boston to Gmunden to Geneva, he and
Maria Orlow have provided unflagging support over many years. It is an honor
to express my gratitude to them.
Only one other person has lived with this project from its inception. From
sharing a Bundesarchiv Kabine to health challenges and parenting, Guillaume
de Syon has offered invaluable companionship, comfort, and assistance.
Corinne and Lucie de Syon have not yet visited Germany, and Christian De-
mocracy means nothing to them. They do know that their mother missed many
a play hour to complete her book. I hope that someday they will feel proud of
my efforts as they pursue their own goals.
Portions of this book have appeared previously, in different form, as “Ma-
terialism and Secularism: CDU Politicians and National Socialism, 1945–
1949,” Journal of Modern History 67.2 (1995): 278–3 08; and “‘Antimaterial-
Acknowledgments ix
ism’ in Early German Christian Democracy,” in European Christian
Democracy: Historical Legacies and Comparative Perspectives, ed. Thomas
Kselman and Joseph A. Buttigieg (Notre Dame, 2003). They are reprinted here
with permission.
Geneva, Switzerland
June 2011