Kulturkampf

Lit culture war a name originating with Virchow 1821 1902 given to a struggle between the Roman Catholic Church and the German government chiefly over the latters efforts to control educational and ecclesiastical appointments in the interest of the political policy of centralization The struggle began with the passage by the Prussian Diet in May 1873 of the so called May laws or Falk laws aiming at the regulation of the clergy Opposition eventually compelled the government to change its policy and from 1880 to 1887 laws virtually nullifying the May laws were enacted