Religious divisions

• Germany was a Christian country - the majority identified with Protestantism and a significant minority with Roman Catholicism.
• Bismarck viewed Roman Catholics as a danger to the German state and responded with a 'culture struggle' designed to make sure that the Catholic Church in Germany was loyal to the German state.
• Laws were introduced giving the state the right to veto the appointment of Catholic priests and bishops. Catholic priests resisted this, leading to arrests and imprisonment.
• The main liberal parties refused to defend the rights of Catholics as they were convinced that Catholicism was a threat to true German culture.