Ost-CDU und Protestantismus 1949-1958: Die Partei der „fortschrittlichen Christen“ zwischen Repräsentationsanspruch und Transmissionsaufgabe
During the period of the transformation of the party system in the German Democratic Republic, the dominant Socialist Unity Party (SED) allocated to the eastern section of the Christian Democratic Union the function of relating to the Christian parts of the population. The CDU party's task was...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | German |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
1993
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| In: |
Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte
Year: 1993, Volume: 6, Issue: 2, Pages: 349-378 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | During the period of the transformation of the party system in the German Democratic Republic, the dominant Socialist Unity Party (SED) allocated to the eastern section of the Christian Democratic Union the function of relating to the Christian parts of the population. The CDU party's task was to mobilize such forces and to integrate them into the socialist state. To do so, it had to show its readiness to represent the Christians' concerns and to defend their interests. But, in the 1950s, during the period of severe confrontations between Church and State, this proved impossible. Nevertheless church politicians in the CDU tried to win over Christians to support the building up of the socialist society as part of their mandate, and to a certain extent defended Christian interests, hoping thereby to keep their Christian supporters in the ranks of the CDU and at the same time to fulfill the expectations of the SED. At the beginning of the 1950s, Otto Nuschke, the party chairman, attempted to exercise his influence in church matters against the hardliners in the Communist Party. He not only sought to carry out his party duties but also to pursue his own aims in the direction of church affairs. But in this he failed to succeed. Nor was the strategy of the CDU leaders who loyally accepted the leadership of the SED any more successful, since the latter was not prepared to grant the CDU any significant representative functions. The SED disregarded the risk that a CDU which was nothing more than a propaganda tool of the SED would face a real identity crisis, as could be seen in the course of the so-called "Second Church Struggle" (1952-3) or during the implementation of the Youth Dedication Ceremonies (1954-1958). |
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| ISSN: | 2196-808X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte
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