Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party (German: Deutsche Zentrumspartei or just Zentrum) was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. In English it is often called the Catholic Centre Party. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church. It soon won a quarter of the seats in the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament), and its middle position on most issues allowed it to play a decisive role in the formation of majorities.
When the Nazis came to power the party dissolved itself on 5 July 1933 as a condition of the conclusion of a Concordat between the Holy See and Germany.
After World War II, the party was refounded, but could not rise again to its former importance, as most of its members joined the new Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The Centre Party was represented in the German parliament until 1957. It exists as a marginal party, mainly based in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Read more about Centre Party (Germany): Origins of Political Catholicism, Catholic Groups in The Prussian Diet, The Soest Programme and The Founding of The "Centre Party", Kulturkampf, "Out of The Tower!", In War and Revolution, In The Weimar Republic, The Brüning Administration, Between Coup D'état and "authoritarian Democracy", The Hitler Government and New Elections, The Enabling Act, The End of The Centre Party, Refounding and Post-war History
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