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

3. Christian Democratic Organization beyond the British Zone: Priests, Protestants, Patriarchy

56 Chapter 3 Christian Democratic Organization beyond the British Zone: Priests, Protestants, Patriarchy In many ways, early Christian Democracy in the French, American, and Soviet zones bore strong resemblance to that in the British zone. Throughout defeated Germany, the CDU was organized by former members of the Center Party with strong participation from trade unionists and clergy, including many who had resisted the Nazis. Small numbers of women contributed, while Protestants largely eschewed the new party; of those who joined, religious Protestants, especially former Confessing Church and CSVD members, stood out. As in the British zone, regional variations mattered greatly. Beyond the British zone, the participation of anti-Nazi opposition figures in Berlin, the prominence of the clergy in the Palatinate, and a Bavarian emphasis on state autonomy would testify to the importance of political traditions. In a now famous quote, the French newspaper L’Ordre described the 1946 CDU as “socialist and radical in Berlin, clerical and conservative in Cologne, capitalist and reactionary in Hamburg , and counterrevolutionary and particularist in Munich.”1 While overstated, this description nonetheless hints at the competing impulses that shaped Christian Democracy in its founding years. The French Zone As had been the case in the British zone, occupation policies shaped decisively the development of Christian Democracy in the French zone. By administering their rule more directly and with proportionately more officials than the other occupying powers, the French created the most difficult conditions for German politicians in the western zones.2 The priorities of Charles de Gaulle and his successors—joint Allied control over the Rhine’s left bank, internationaliza- Christian Democratic Organization beyond the British Zone 57 tion of the Ruhr, the federal organization of Germany, and the resolution of the Saarland question to French advantage—reflected France’s goal of postwar security.3 In an effort to dictate the outlines of Germany’s future party system, the French forbade political parties until December 13, 1945 and regulated party activity tightly thereafter, never authorizing, for example, party zonal associations . There is no evidence, however, that the French specifically disadvantaged Christian Democracy, and some evidence indicates that they favored Catholic clergy more than did other occupying powers.4 Stringent occupation policies were not the only explanation for the relatively weak development of Christian Democracy in the French zone. Widespread support for refounding the Center Party combined with a strong tradition of regional autonomy to retard coordinated interconfessional organization. When Christian Democrats did organize, however, they revealed the typical characteristics of early Christian Democratic development present in the British zone. In addition to clerical influence, Christian Democratic organization in French-occupied Baden reflected the strength of networks of both Nazi opponents and the Center Party. In the southern half of Baden, party activity was focused in Baden’s capital city, Freiburg. (The northern halves of both Baden and Württemberg were under American occupation; only in 1952 would Württemberg-Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, and Baden merge into Baden-Württemberg.) The December 1945 founding of a Christian Democratic organization in Freiburg, the Christian Social People’s Party (ChristlichSoziale Volkspartei [CSVP]), was led by Prelate Föhr, former leader of the Baden Center Party Landtag faction. Föhr had been pressured by Conrad Gröber , archbishop of Freiburg, to solicit Confessing Church support for a new interconfessional union.5 The influence of the Confessing Church in Freiburg was apparent in the participation of Protestant ministers and members of the Freiburg School, including Franz Böhm and Adolf Lampe. Gröber was also active in Konstanz, where he supported former Confessing Church and Protestant People’s Service (the Baden CSVD) member Hermann Schneider’s efforts to organize a Christian Democratic group. Although the party attracted overwhelmingly former Center Party members, leading representatives of the Confessing Church in Baden and its surrounding region moved rather seamlessly into the CDU.6 Continuities with the CSVD were also evident in northern Württemberg, where early Christian Democratic propaganda mirrored images from a 1932 CSVD campaign poster.7 In Südwürttemberg-Hohenzollern, Christian Democracy revealed the influence of former Christian Trade Unionists, especially those who had established contact with fellow unionists in other zones, including Johannes Albers, 58 The Origins of Christian Democracy Jakob Kaiser, and Josef Ersing.8 In Tübingen, efforts were spearheaded by a former Center Party politician referred by the local Catholic dean to Protestants associated with resistance activities and the Confessing Church...