I find it interesting to look at the Bismarckian phase of German history, especially the Kulturkampf, through the lens of myth. Any given culture has a mythology that serves as a strong basis of unity and perspective. The schism between Catholics and politics at large in the newly unified nation comes to a head in 1871, when protests were filed about clergy members’ Center Party support. The split between established interest and Catholicism is a powerful example of myth’s place in society.
What German mythology was a point of unity at this stage? The Grimm brothers collected and catalogued many of these specific myths, which have been since translated and gained world-renown. The fairy tale is not merely a moral apparatus, with life-applying metaphor, though this is an important function. The widespread dissemination by the Grimm brothers provided a strong commonality for the collective German psyche, the commonality of story. People could relate and embrace their German-ness through their folktales. Not only that, but the folk-tale seemed particularly relevant when the newfangled German citizen was caught up in their own mythical adventure, with their recent triumph and a heroic history unfolding before their eyes.
It can be argued, then, that the German government was championing its own mythology. Through the trials of war, a German legend was born, and each citizen was to embrace this legend as their own, and to share their history as a basis for unity. If the politics of the day were endorsing their success as heroic destiny, a real-life mythological feat, then it could only be at odds with the Catholic, who had their own Biblical myths and own political agenda to account for.
If myth is as unifying as I think, then the cohesion Catholics attained with a common mythological basis was threatening to the government and non-Catholic masses for that very reason. Anderson notes that in the context of social struggle, the Catholic Church had political appeal because it “provided a ready-made rhetoric” that accounted for class difference. The virtue of the poor is certainly part of the Biblical tradtion. It was this aspect of myth that gave clergy members like Father Muller grounds for political participation. The Catholic mobilization and organization that scared the state was firmly planted in mythology, a state that organized its citizens through its own mythological discourse.
The Kulturkampf in this context, as widespread secularization and Church censorship, was an effort to consolidate the mythology of the people. Catholics were using their traditions and dogma to gain political favor, which was empowering as it was unifying. The powers-that-be sought social unification through their own traditions, which, like any historical framework, was presented with the full spectrum of mythological archetypes (which Carl Jung would later hypothesize): Departure (the decision to unify), Initiation (the trials of war), and Return (the ultimate boon- unification). The two refused to co-exist.
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So the German government was mythologizing the current struggles of war and revolution as a way to counter the power the Catholic Church's mythology wielded. This is really interesting; before this class, I never would have considered mythology [works of the Grimm brothers, etc.] as a medium that provided a strong sense of commonality and "german-ness". I can definitely see how the liberation theology of the Catholic Church would have appealed to the lower classes, and why the German government feared Catholic mythology's power to unite. The mythologizing of war and struggle has certainly endured; I was reminded of this article [language and obvious political leanings of the article's author aside, I thought this was interesting - this mythology is, however, tied TO religion]:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/disgrasian/holy-crap-donald-rumsfeld_b_204800.html
Great link about myth. The nineteenth century was a period in which many states sought to create 'traditions' to time people to monarchies and to create a sense of unity within the state. I think you raise an important point when you contrast the myth of Germanness with the myth of the Church. Think about what we talked about in terms of cultural Protestantism and how that also allowed Germans to create a secular tale of heroic unification that would effectively isolate and exclude Catholics.
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