Catholicism, Popular Culture, and the Arts in Germany, 1880–1933

“Works on the German Catholic subculture are few and far between. This book is based on extensive research into archival and published primary sources. It should be of interest to a wide variety of historians concerned with German history, cultural history, and the history of religion.” —Jonathan Sperber, University of Missouri, Columbia

 

"The conflict between organized religion and the emergence of modernist thought is not new. This study particularizes one important chapter in that conflict: the disparity between the Catholic cultural movement and its secular counterpart in Germany during the period of the Kulterkampf and the years preceding the ascent of the Nazi party. At a time when certain religious sects are animating world-wide disturbance, this account of another cultural struggle based on differing religious perceptions is remarkably pertinent." —R. Kathleen Molz, Columbia University

 

Margaret Stieg Dalton offers a comprehensive study of the German Catholic cultural movement that lasted from the late nineteenth century until 1933. Rapidly advancing industrialization, higher literacy rates, rising real income, and increased leisure time created a demand for intellectually accessible entertainment. Technological developments gave rise not only to new forms of entertainment, but also to the means by which they were marketed and disseminated. At the same time, the effects of modernism were being felt in all areas of high culture. Dalton’s book examines the encounter of clergy and lay Catholics with both high culture and popular culture in Germany.