Bruno Doehring (February 3, 1879 – April 16, 1961) was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian . A preacher at the Berlin Cathedral from 1914 to 1960, Doehring was a popular figure in the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union in Berlin. He was a strict conservative and was active in the Weimar Republic as a politician.
103-846: Doehring was born the son of a farmer. After attending elementary school in Mohrungen and the Royal Grammar School in Elbing , he studied theology at the universities of Halle, Berlin and Königsberg. In 1906 Doehring was a pastor in Tiefensee in East Prussia, where he started a family and his son Johannes was born, and in 1908 he was a pastor in Fischau in West Prussia. After receiving his doctorate in 1911, Doehring gained
206-527: A Grand Coalition administration, comprising the Centre, both Liberal parties and the Social Democrats, which lasted until November, when the Social Democrats left the coalition and the Centre's Wilhelm Marx became chancellor of a cabinet of the remaining parties. In January 1925 the non-affiliated Hans Luther was appointed chancellor and formed a coalition between the Centre, both Liberal parties,
309-489: A Nazi as Chancellor, provided he could gain the trust of the President, which at that time seemed quite a difficult task. The negotiations were bound for failure, since the aims of the two groups were largely incompatible. The Centre argued that the vote of July had "called Hitler not to dictatorship but to responsibility, to getting in line with law and constitution". They hoped to "build a strong government without touching
412-535: A bombing on May 24, 1944, the Berlin Cathedral was no longer usable for worship. Doehring first preached in the Church of St. Sophia , and then in a large catacomb -like underground vault, created under the cathedral by the cathedral parish, which was capable of seating around one thousand two hundred worshipers. After an interruption caused by the war, Doehring returned to the pulpit on September 2, 1945 with
515-559: A broad outline of his government's objectives, Hitler used the questionnaire presented by Kaas to declare the talks a failure and obtain the President's approval for calling for new elections for the third time in about half a year. These elections in March 1933 were already marred by the SA 's terror, after the Reichstag fire and civil rights had been suspended by President Hindenburg through
618-665: A castle erected. Peter's grandson Christopher von Dohna (1583–1637) became known as a scholar and governor of the Principality of Orange during the Thirty Years' War . Rebuilt in a Baroque style in the early 18th century, Dohna Palace is today used as a museum. Mohrungen was again devastated during the Polish–Swedish War in 1626. From 1701 it was part of the Kingdom of Prussia under King Frederick I . It remained
721-527: A coalition with the Centre Party, promising an equal share in government. Since this went too far for the Centre's national leadership, the negotiations were transferred to the national level, where Heinrich Brüning conferred with Gregor Strasser . During that period the anti-Nazi polemics ceased in order not to disturb the negotiations. Since the NSDAP was the larger party, the Centre was willing to accept
824-482: A comforting character, combining biblical criticism with thinly-veiled indictment of Hitler and his party comrades. Starting in 1940-41 their printing was prevented by the state and Doehring lost his teaching position. He considered the war and its suffering to be a result of the November Revolution, which in turn had made it possible for Hitler to rise to power and sit "on the throne of Satan." Following
927-660: A decisive role in the formation of majorities. The party name Zentrum (Centre) originally came from the fact that Catholic representatives would take up the middle section of seats in parliament between the social democrats and the conservatives. For most of the Weimar Republic, the Centre Party was the third-largest party in the Reichstag and a bulwark of the Republic, participating in all governments until 1932. Following Adolf Hitler 's rise to power in early 1933,
1030-707: A gift for his 80th birthday, he was presented with a statistic showing that he had preached in front of about four million people over the course of his life. His tomb is located in Domfriedhof II on Müllerstraße in Berlin-Wedding . Mohrungen Morąg ( [ˈmɔrɔŋk] ; German : Mohrungen , [ˈmoːʁʊŋən] ) is a town in northern Poland in Ostróda County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship . It
1133-534: A manifesto, the number of Catholic representatives in the Prussian Diet rose considerably. In December 1870, they formed a new "Centre" faction, also called the "Constitution Party" to emphasise its adherence to constitutional liberties. Three months later, early in 1871, the Catholic representatives to the new national parliament, the Reichstag , also formed a "Centre" faction . The party not only defended
SECTION 10
#17327768677511236-417: A plan to form a broad-based Christian party. The party was an ideologically diverse coalition of Catholic politicians, comprising republicans like Matthias Erzberger and Joseph Wirth as well as right-wingers like Franz von Papen . As a result of the party's flexibility, it participated in every government between 1919 and 1932, both with parties to their left and to their right. The Centre mainly provided
1339-399: A sample sermon on April 1, 1914, with an eye to filling the recently vacant position of fourth chaplain at the Berlin Cathedral. After the sermon, an enthusiastic Wilhelm gave Doehring the position over competing candidate F. K. Otto Dibelius . Doehring was known to the general public thanks to an open-air church service he gave to an audience of tens of thousands of believers on the steps of
1442-515: A sermon on "the savior of the world and world peace". Due to his criticism of the government during both the Weimar and Nazi eras, Doehring had been passed over three times for the position of head chaplain of the cathedral. In the post-war era of divided Berlin , this changed. He won and held this position in Berlin's eastern sector from 1945 until his retirement in 1960, and resumed his position as
1545-416: A success would have led to a presidential crisis, as Hindenburg was unwilling to have a coalition parties dictate the administration. In September he ended all speculations by dissolving the Reichstag again, almost immediately after its first meeting. Papen's act did not end the negotiations between the Centre and the NSDAP. In fact, it made further meetings possible, since the Centre Party's leadership blamed
1648-544: A successful conclusion, Hitler used the Centre negotiations in order to put pressure on the Papen administration. The negotiations were also met with criticism from within the Centre Party. Some rejected them as "currying favour with the National Socialists" and giving credence to Hitler's strategy of legality. Catholic journalists Fritz Gerlich and Ingbert Naab dismissed as "illusionary" the attempt to "uphold
1751-486: A university professor at Humboldt University from 1946 to 1953. The title of head chaplain no longer had any formal meaning at this point, as Dibelius had given himself the title of Bishop of Berlin-Brandenburg and made St. Mary's Church the seat of his diocese. Doehring's seat was no longer the center of Protestant worship in Germany, nor was it as prestigious a venue for events. The occupying Allied forces , and later
1854-498: A working parliament by cooperation with the National Socialists, since the three parties together had attained 53% of the seats. When Papen called upon the people to "reject the dictatorship of a single party", the Centre Party agreed "without reservation", but it also stated that "with the same resolution we reject the dictatorship of the nameless party, now in power … even if cloaked with the illusion of non-partisanship". After Papen failed to get Hitler's support for his administration,
1957-832: Is Huragan Morąg [ pl ] . It competes in the lower leagues. Pastoral activity in the town is the Roman Catholic Church and the Pentecostal Church - Protestant community on the nature of the Gospel, as well as the Greek Orthodox Church. Centre Party (Germany) The Centre Party ( German : Zentrum ), officially the German Centre Party (German: Deutsche Zentrumspartei ) and also known in English as
2060-547: Is the seat of Gmina Morąg (commune). The town is situated in the western uplands of the historic Prussia region. Its centre is located about 60 km (37 mi) south of the Polish–Russian ( Kaliningrad ) border. The nearest city is Olsztyn in Warmia , 38 km (24 mi) to the southeast. In medieval times, an Old Prussian settlement existed at the site under the name of Mawrin, Maurin or Morin . A new town
2163-621: The 1928 general elections as part of the Völkisch National Bloc , but with only 266,000 votes (just 0.87%) it was denied entry to the Reichstag. That same year, Doehring came up with the idea and screenplay for the movie Luther . In the 1930 general election , Doehring affiliated himself with the DNVP in his capacity as chairman of the Lutherrings, and won a seat in the electoral district Chemnitz-Zwickau , which he held in
SECTION 20
#17327768677512266-661: The AfD and joined the Centre Party. The Centre Party belongs to the political spectrum of " Political Catholicism " that, emerging in the early 19th century after the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars, had changed the political face of Germany. Many Catholics found themselves in Protestant dominated states. The first major conflict between the Catholic Church and a Protestant state was the "Colonian Church conflict", when
2369-649: The Catholic Centre Party , is a Christian democratic political party in Germany . It was most Influential in the German Empire and Weimar Republic . Formed in 1870, it successfully battled the Kulturkampf waged by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck against the Catholic Church . It soon won a quarter of the seats in the Reichstag , and its middle position on most issues allowed it to play
2472-1005: The Center Party and the DNVP since the end of 1926. Following the withdrawal of Adolf von Harnack and Otto Baumgarten , the conflict over the direction of the EB culminated in Doehring's resignation in February 1927. Doehring then founded the Lutherring für aktives Christentum . Under his leadership, in January 1928, it developed into the German Reformation Party, in his words "to curb the hopeless fragmentation of national forces". Its consistently anti-modern, monarchical and nationalist party program resonated little among Protestants. The German Reformation Party took part in
2575-524: The German entry into World War I , the party also used the debates about war bonds to push for a repeal of the last remnants of anti-Jesuit laws. In 1916, the Reichstag adopted a resolution introduced by the Centre Party, calling on the government to follow the Oberste Heeresleitung (OHL) 's recommendation on the use of submarines. The OHL's policy of resuming unrestricted submarine warfare
2678-554: The Polish State Railways (PKP) provide connections with major Polish cities, such as Gdańsk , Gdynia , Szczecin , Białystok , Elbląg and Olsztyn . In the past, there was a railway connection with Ostróda through Miłomłyn (opened in 1909, passenger trains cancelled in 1992, cargo trains cancelled in 1994, rail line demolished in 2006) and to Orneta through Miłakowo ( opened in 1894, demolished in 1945, cancelling any train traffic ). The local football club
2781-689: The Prussian government interfered in the question of mixed marriages and the religious affiliation of children resulting from these. This led to serious aggressions against the Catholic population of the Rhineland and Westphalia and culminated in the arrest of the Archbishop of Cologne . At that time, one of the founding fathers of Political Catholicism was journalist Joseph Görres , who called upon Catholics to "stand united" for their common goals, "religious liberty and political and civil equality of
2884-765: The Reichstag Fire Decree . Still the Centre Party campaigned hard against the Hitler administration and managed to preserve their former vote of roughly 11 per cent. The government parties NSDAP and DNVP however jointly won 52 per cent of the vote. This result shattered the Centre Party's hopes of being indispensable for obtaining a majority in parliament. The party was now faced with two alternatives – either to persist in protesting and risk reprisals like Communists and Social Democrats, or to declare their loyal cooperation, in order to protect their members. As shown by subsequent events, though deeply uncomfortable with
2987-744: The Reichstag building on August 2, 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War . His sermon was a call to stand firmly and fearlessly together under the leadership of the Kaiser, with loyalty and with faith in God, through all the suffering that was to come. It was widely reprinted. As a preacher, Doehring combined eloquence with education and populism, and was not afraid of "kitsch sentimentalism". He saw preaching as "always concrete, never abstract" and wanted to be like Martin Luther and never shy away from
3090-696: The Social Democratic Party (SPD). The Centre's Constantin Fehrenbach was elected president of the National Assembly. The party actively cooperated with Social Democrats and left-liberal German Democratic Party (DDP) in drawing up the Weimar Constitution , which guaranteed what the Centre had been fighting for since its founding: equality for Catholics and autonomy for Catholic Church throughout Germany. The party
3193-664: The Stab-in-the-back myth , as well as for the humiliations of the Versailles Treaty and reparations. Erzberger himself, who had signed the armistice, was assassinated by right-wing extremists in 1921. The parties of the Weimar Coalition (Social Democrats, Centre and the left-liberal German Democratic Party (DDP) were the base of the Weimar Republic but lost their majority in the 1920 elections. After this, majority governments were rare as they required
Bruno Doehring - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-597: The Weimar Coalition . This combination, however, lost its majority in the 1920 elections . The formation of the new Christian People's Party in Rhineland (May 1920) caused considerable concern among the Centre leadership. Seeing the exodus of conservative Catholics caused by a sharp left turn of the Centre at the end of war, Adam Stegerwald proposed his "Essen program" (September 1920) that promised Germany to become "Christian, democratic, German, and social" and
3399-583: The "New Era" governments of Wilhelm I adopted more lenient policies, the club renamed itself "Fraction of the Centre" in order to open itself up to include non-Catholics. This name stemmed from the fact that in the Landtag the Catholic representatives were seated in the centre, between the Conservatives on the right and the Liberals on the left. Faced with military and constitutional issues, where there
3502-482: The 1410 Battle of Grunwald the victorious Polish - Lithuanian army took over the town and the castle without a fight. During the Polish–Teutonic Hunger War of 1414, Mohrungen incinerated completely. In 1440, the town joined the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation , at the request of which King Casimir IV Jagiellon signed the act of incorporation of the region to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. At
3605-457: The BVP and, for the first time, the right-wing German National People's Party (DNVP). The Centre, the BVP and the DNVP jointly supported legislation to expand religious schools. In the same year, Wilhelm Marx was the Centre's candidate in the presidential elections . In the second round, combining the support of the Weimar coalition parties, he gained 45.3% of the vote and finished a close second to
3708-401: The Catholic gentry met at Soest and drew up an election programme. The main points were: There were also more general demands such as for a more federal, decentralised state, a limitation of state expenditure, a just distribution of taxes, the financial strengthening of the middle classes and the legal "removal of such evil states, that threaten the worker with moral or bodily ruin". With such
3811-426: The Catholic nobleman Franz von Papen as Chancellor, a member of the Centre's right wing and former cavalry captain. The intention was to break the connection of the Centre with the other republican parties or to split the party and integrate it into a comprehensive conservative movement. However, the Centre refused to support Papen's government in any way and criticised him for "distorting and abusing good old ideals of
3914-539: The Catholic population. Following Bismarck's 1879 turn from free trade to protectionism and from the National Liberal party to the Conservative parties, he also abandoned the unsuccessful Kulturkampf . The Centre party remained a party of opposition to Bismarck, but after his resignation in 1890, it frequently supported the following administrations' policies in the Reichstag , particularly in
4017-772: The Centre Party in 1888. In the age of nationalism, Protestant Germans, whether Conservative (like Otto von Bismarck ) or Liberal, accused the Centre of Ultramontanism or having a greater loyalty towards the Pope than to the German nation. After the First Vatican Council , Bismarck launched the Kulturkampf ("cultural struggle") against the Catholic Church. Catholics fought back vigorously and with near-unanimity. The Centre party gained greater support from
4120-423: The Centre Party still did not give up building a broad coalition government. Since the new administration was still lacking a majority in parliament, the Centre was ready to support it, either by toleration or by coalition. Hitler intended to minimise non-Nazi participation, but feigned a willingness to cooperate with the Centre and blamed Papen and Hugenberg for denying cabinet posts to the Centre. When Kaas requested
4223-548: The Centre Party was among the parties who voted for the Enabling Act , which granted legislative powers to Hitler's government. Nevertheless, the party was pressured into dissolving itself on 5 July, as the Nazi Party became the only legally permitted party in the country shortly thereafter. After World War II , the party was reconstituted, but could not rise again to its former importance, as most of its members joined
Bruno Doehring - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-434: The Centre began their own negotiations with the National Socialists. They started in the state of Prussia , where the Weimar Coalition had just lost its majority. An alternative majority could be not found and the Papen administration had seized this opportunity to assume control of Germany's largest state in the " Prussian coup " via presidential decree. Now, the National Socialists proposed to end this direct rule by forming
4429-630: The Centre remained, by the composition of its members, politicians and voters, an essentially Catholic party. Loyal to the Pope in church matters, the Centre party steered a course independent of the Holy See on secular matters. This became apparent in the "septennat dispute" of 1886. Since the Centre Party rejected Bismarck's military budget, the Chancellor negotiated with the Holy See and promised to abolish some Kulturkampf -related laws and to support
4532-423: The Centre, acting as the representative of reactionary circles". Papen forestalled being expelled by leaving the party. Following Brüning's resignation, the Centre Party entered the opposition. Though they also opposed the Nazi Party , their energies were directed mainly against the renegade Papen. Some Centre politicians were soothed by Hitler's strategy of legality into downplaying the Nazi threat. In regard to
4635-508: The Church's liberties, but also supported representative government and minority rights in general, in particular those of German Poles , Alsatians , and Hannoverians . The Centre's main leader was the Hannoverian advocate Ludwig Windthorst and other major figures included Karl Friedrich von Savigny , Hermann von Mallinckrodt , Burghard Freiherr von Schorlemer-Alst , the brothers August Reichensperger and Peter Reichensperger , Franz von Ballestrem and Georg Count Hertling . The party
4738-477: The Constitution. This allowed him to circumvent parliament, as long as the Social Democrats - who feared another election - tolerated this practice. For this way of government based on both the President and cooperation of parliament, Brüning coined the term "authoritarian democracy". By this time, the party had become increasingly ambivalent toward democracy. Many elements of the party, including Kaas, had come to believe that only an authoritarian regime could protect
4841-424: The DDP and the DVP. In May 1921 the Weimar Coalition once again joined forces with the Centre's Joseph Wirth as Chancellor, but this minority government collapsed again in November 1922. After this, the Centre participated in the non-affiliated Wilhelm Cuno 's "government of the economy", together with both liberal parties and the Bavarian People's Party (BVP). In August 1923, the DVP's Gustav Stresemann formed
4944-409: The East Prussian Königsberg region, Mohrungen between 1871 and 1945 belonged to Germany . During World War II , some expelled Poles from Mazovia were enslaved by the Germans as forced labour in the town's vicinity. It was occupied by Soviet Red Army forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front during the East Prussian Offensive on 23 January 1945. After World War II , the remaining local populace
5047-409: The National Socialists", but did not comment on an alternative Chancellor, since he considered that the "personal prerogative of the President". Hindenburg's negotiations with Hitler failed, but so did Kaas's attempt to form a coalition in parliament. By avoiding a clear statement, Hitler managed to pin the blame for this failure on the DNVP's Alfred Hugenberg , who had rejected Kaas's proposals. Since
5150-557: The Party's autonomy, which the Pope had accepted, and by interpreting the published letters as expressions of papal confidence in the party. As the Kulturkampf declined, debates about the character of the party emerged culminating in the Centre dispute, in 1906, after Julius Bachem had published the article "We must get out of the tower!" He called upon Catholic politicians to fulfill Windthorst's word and get out of their perpetual minority position by an effort to increase Protestant numbers among their representatives in parliament. His proposal
5253-424: The Pope in the Roman question , if the Vatican persuaded the Centre Party to accept his bill. Despite this agreement, the Centre Party rejected the budget and Bismarck called new elections. He also published the letters with the Vatican, intending to drive a wedge between Catholic voters loyal to the Pope and the Centre Party with the slogan: "The Pope against the Centre!" Windhorst managed to avert this by reaffirming
SECTION 50
#17327768677515356-404: The Social Democrats as the largest party in the Reichstag . As Communists and National Socialists together had won the majority of seats, no government coalition could be formed without one of them. Papen tried to justify his authoritarian style of government by pointing out that parliament could no longer function properly. Countering this reasoning, the Centre and the BVP tried to re-establish
5459-408: The anti-Nazi Confessing Church , preaching solitude. Doehring's sermons were closely monitored by the Gestapo , who repeatedly questioned him about his public criticism of the Nazi regime. He did not mention Hitler in prayer, and in a May 1940 sermon which the regime had decreed should give thanks for victory he instead preached repentance . As the war progressed his sermons took on more and more of
5562-413: The attention of Georg zu Dohna (1852–1912) through his involvement with Arthur Drews . Dohna hired him as a pastor in Finckenstein Palace . The conservative politician Elard von Oldenburg-Januschau belonged to Doehring's parish, and they became friends. After Dohna's death Doehring took over the management of the seminary in Wittenburg . For unexplained reasons, Kaiser Wilhelm II asked Doehring to give
5665-426: The cabinet had refused to support Papen's planned coup d'état by a permanent dissolution of the Reichstag, in December Hindenburg appointed General Kurt von Schleicher as Chancellor. Schleicher tried to form a " Querfront " (an alliance involving willing members of both left-wing and right-wing parties), which failed. Schleicher then revived Papen's proposed coup d'état, which the Centre Party refused to condone, as did
5768-468: The comforter of Berlin, which he had acquired during the bombing of the city, until his retirement in 1960. Four months after his death, the construction of the Berlin Wall split the Cathedral Parish, and in 1975, the demolition of his vault in the catacombs followed. In the words of William Hüffmeier , Doehring was "in life really an individualist, a loner, unclassifiable", but with his sermons he reached more believers than any other minister in Berlin. As
5871-427: The constitution and the legal order" with a man such as Hitler with his "unconditional propensity to evil". Instead of "driving out the devil by Belzebub", the Centre should act as the parliament's conscience. The party leadership answered their critics by calling it a "duty of conscience" to try to achieve a constitutional government. Though Papen did not expect the negotiations to succeed, he was nonetheless concerned as
5974-404: The decline in Germany's Christian faith and values. For him, most of the blame lay with the Catholic Church and the socialist labor movement . He envisioned a reformation along the lines of Luther's as a solution for Germany. The Cathedral parish, largely composed of members of the Prussian bureaucracy and related members of the court, together with the status of the Berlin Cathedral as one of
6077-462: The democratic press and in statements of displeasure by prominent personalities. Gustav Stresemann saw in them "not ... an expression of Christian charity, but ... an increasingly frenzied aversion to dissent" and in 1924 Karl Barth called Doehring a "miserable cream puff" and a "theological buffoon". In 1924 Doehring took over the chairmanship of the Evangelical Alliance to Preserve German-Protestant Interests (EB). His appointment to this position
6180-408: The denominations". The conflict relaxed after 1840, with Frederick William IV 's accession to the throne. The German revolutions of 1848–1849 brought new opportunities for German Catholics. In October, the bishops had their first meeting in 40 years in Würzburg and the local "Catholic Federations" assembled in Mainz to found the "Catholic Federation of Germany". In the National Assembly , which
6283-548: The failure not on the parties' incompatibility but on Papen calling for new elections. Since the NSDAP vote dropped again in the elections of November 1932 , the Centre Party considered their strategy successful and resumed negotiations, this time under the slogan of forming a "Notgemeinschaft" ("community of need"), even though the Centre, BVP, and NSDAP together no longer formed a majority in parliament. Kaas advised President Hindenburg not to continue Papen's "administration of conflict"; he advocated "national concentration including
SECTION 60
#17327768677516386-405: The field of social security. The Kulturkampf had reinforced the Catholic character of the Centre Party, but even during it Ludwig Windthorst had defended the party against Bismarck's accusation of being a "denominational party" in describing the Centre as "a political party with a comprehensive political programme and open to anyone, who accepts it". However, few Protestants took up this offer and
6489-448: The following three legislative sessions, until November 1933. Doehring remained loyal to the Kaiser, visiting him in Huis Doorn and preaching there, for the last time in 1939 on the occasion of his 80th birthday. In the emerging Nazi movement Doehring saw a reprehensible attempt to create a new religion. In his 1932 paper The miscarriage of the national movement by Adolf Hitler , he repudiated "the idolatry of racism, anti-Semitism, and
6592-434: The future King of Sweden and Norway, took his residence at Dohna Palace; his French forces defeated the advance guard of Levin von Bennigsen's Russian Army at the Battle of Mohrungen on January 25, 1807. On June 9–10, 1807, the Polish division of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski stayed in the town. An earthquake struck the town in 1818. The town received access to the Prussian state railways network in 1882. Part of
6695-412: The government of the GDR , discouraged worship, and multiple threats to the cathedral's continued existence were posed by the GDR's city planning. The cathedral, still damaged by the war, was not repaired. Doehring preached tirelessly every Sunday in his underground vault, in which he had installed a Schuke Organ in 1946, consistently drawing an audience of a thousand worshipers. He kept his reputation as
6798-415: The government on a coalition with the rising right-wing parties, the "logical result of current development". This would force the radicals to "take their share in responsibility" and "acquainting them with international politics". The Centre would then act as the party of opposition to this administration. As Papen was faced with almost uniform opposition by the parties, he had the Reichstag dissolved. In
6901-412: The government, the Centre Party rejected a "temporal solution", such as Papen's presidial cabinets, and rather advocated a "total solution", i.e., a government according to the rules of the constitution. Since the Centre considered Papen's administration of being "in a dangerous way dependent on radical right-wing parties", chairman Ludwig Kaas advised the President to recognise this connection by basing
7004-408: The inhabitants. After the peace treaty signed in Toruń in 1466, the town became a part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Knights. Mohrungen was on a shipping commerce line connecting Truso with harbors at the Black Sea . Agriculture and commerce was the primary occupations in the town. It was known as a cattle and grain market . During the Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–21, Morąg
7107-404: The lower and middle classes as well as among the Prussian Junkers . In 1930, Brüning's failure to gain a majority for his policies in parliament prompted him to call early elections , in which the four parties of the former Grand coalition lost their majority. After this, Brüning based his administration entirely on the support of the presidential decrees ("Notverordnung") through article 48 of
7210-449: The manipulation of the masses." Doehring, along with a minority of the Cathedral Council, voted against the holding of an SA memorial in the cathedral for SA leader Hans Maikowski and a police officer, both of whom were killed in a street battle during a parade celebrating Hitler's seizure of power . He personally denied the Nazi-affiliated German Christians use of the cathedral for their services. Nevertheless, he kept his distance from
7313-399: The ministers for finance and labour and, on four occasions, the Chancellor. However, this also damaged the party's prospects because it was increasingly associated with all of the conflicts, problems, and failures of the Republic. The Centre had a share of the odium attached to the so-called "Weimar Establishment" which was blamed, especially on the right, for the German defeat in World War I in
7416-624: The moderate-conservative wing of the party, was appointed as Chancellor with a cabinet that, apart from the missing Social Democrats, was virtually unchanged. Brüning was confronted with economic crises exacerbated by the Great Depression and had to tackle the difficult tasks of consolidating both budget and currency when faced with rising unemployment, and of also negotiating changes to the war reparations payments. His course of strict budget discipline, with severe cuts in public expenditure, and tax increases made him extremely unpopular among
7519-643: The national movements. The middle-ground emphasised their loyalty to the Church and rejected both extremes. To mediate the tension between the wings and to strengthen their ties with the Bishops, the party in September 1928 did not elect the two favourites Joseph Joos and Adam Stegerwald , but rather the cleric Ludwig Kaas as chairman. In 1930, the Grand Coalition fell apart. Heinrich Brüning , from
7622-571: The new interdenominational Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and, in Bavaria, the Christian Social Union (CSU). The Centre Party continued on as a marginal party and concentrated its efforts on regional politics, mainly based in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia . The party was unrepresented on the German federal level from 1957 to 2022, when Federal representative Uwe Witt and European representative Jörg Meuthen defected from
7725-549: The other parties. Under these circumstances, Hindenburg refused to back the coup, and Schleicher accordingly resigned on 28 January 1933. Meanwhile, Papen had formed an intrigue to oust his successor. He conferred with Hugenberg and industrial magnates and bankers during a feverish night in which the outcome was unclear to all participants. On 30 January 1933 Hitler was appointed Chancellor with Papen as Vice-Chancellor and Hugenberg as minister for economics. Though seeing their adversaries Papen and Hugenberg join forces with Hitler,
7828-477: The parish church, which was restored and rebuilt several times, survived. Following World War II in 1945 fires burnt about 45% of the historic town centre. Only the outer walls of the town hall remained. Voivodeship roads 519 ( Stary Dzierzgoń , Zalewo , Małdyty , Morąg), 527 ( Dzierzgoń , Pasłęk , Morąg, Olsztyn ) and 528 (Morąg, Miłakowo , Orneta ) pass through the town. There are two train stations in Morąg, and
7931-567: The party and secured its continual existence despite the turmoil of the revolution. The party however was weakened by its Bavarian wing splitting off and forming the Bavarian People's Party (BVP), which emphasised autonomy of the states and also took a more conservative course. In the 1919 elections for the Weimar National Assembly , the Centre Party gained 91 representatives, being the second largest party after
8034-480: The party and the new Social Democratic government. Adolf Hofmann , the Free State of Prussia minister for culture, attempted to decree a total separation of church and state, forcing religion out of schools. This stirred up a wave of protest among the Catholic population, and bishops, Catholic organisations and the Centre Party itself united to combat the "red danger". This conflict bridged internal tensions within
8137-599: The party's exclusively Catholic character and uniting Germany's fragmented party spectrum. In 1920 he advocated the formation of a broad Christian middle-party, that would transcend denominations and social classes and which could push back the Social Democrats' influence. The Polish minority in the German Empire formed one of the largest Catholic groups, but the Centre Party pursued an anti-Polish course causing enmity between it and Polish minority. With
8240-550: The people's revolutionary riots of 1918. In his condemnation of the January strikes , Doehring spoke of betrayal and may have been the first to evoke the stab-in-the-back legend , which held that Germany lost the First World War not for military reasons but due to unpatriotic elements at home. Doehring blamed the subsequent defeat in the war and the following November Revolution and claimed that these events were caused by
8343-436: The position of the Church. The Centre consistently supported Brüning's government and in 1932 vigorously campaigned for the re-election of Paul von Hindenburg , calling him a "venerate historical personality" and "the keeper of the constitution". Hindenburg was re-elected against Adolf Hitler , but shortly afterwards dismissed Brüning on 30 May 1932. President Hindenburg, advised by General Kurt von Schleicher , appointed
8446-483: The problems of his time. The texts of his sermons were available in printed form to his audience immediately after the service, and could be bought for ten pfennig . Beginning in 1923, Doehring took on the additional position of official lecturer in practical theology at the University of Berlin . Doehring, who had discounted the growing discontent and longing for peace during the war, was taken completely aback by
8549-611: The re-formation of the Zentrum under a new name (Christliche Volkspartei, CVP). This proposal was rejected, with only a few regions adopting it for the 1919 election ; the party instead adopted the Berlin Guidelines (Berliner Leitsätze), which were more moderate but failed at making the Zentrum attractive for Protestant voters too. Adam Stegerwald , leader of the Christian trade unions , made another attempt at transcending
8652-574: The revised constitution of 1850 granted liberties, which in parts even exceeded those of the Frankfurt draft constitution , yet two years later the minister for culture, von Raumer, issued decrees directed mainly against the Jesuits . In reaction this led to a doubling of Catholic representatives in the subsequent elections and the formation of a Catholic club in the Landtag of Prussia . In 1858, when
8755-598: The seat of the local administration, since 1752 of Landkreis Mohrungen (Morąg district). Despite being outside of Polish suzerainty since 1657, in the 18th century Poles still inhabited the town and its surroundings, and the town owed its prosperity to trade routes connecting with Poland. The town was within short distances surrounded by Polish territory. During the Napoleonic War of the Fourth Coalition , in 1807, Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte ,
8858-621: The start of the subsequent Thirteen Years' War , the citizens sided with Poland, and on June 11, 1454 in Elbing (Elbląg) , the town pledged allegiance to the Polish King. The town fought against the Teutonic Order in the war from 1454 to 1466. Reconquered by the Elbing commander Heinrich Reuß von Plauen in 1461, the town became his seat as deputy Grand Master . The command of the town was given to Ertman von Kirchberg, who oppressed
8961-554: The state's representative places of worship, afforded Doehring the opportunity to lend his opinions unmistakable prestige in the middle of the German capital. By December 1918 Doehring had already lent his support to the German National People's Party (DNVP) in a call to vote. Doehring criticized the November Revolution and its aftermath as a "de-Christianization" and thus a "deadening" of the political system. His daily pointed sermons were repeatedly criticized both in
9064-431: The subsequent elections, the Centre Party campaigned on two fronts, against both the Papen government and National Socialists and reaffirmed their stance as the "constitution party" opposed to "any measure contrary to constitution, justice and law" and "unwilling to yield to terror". The July 1932 elections brought further losses to the mainstream parties and gains to the extremist parties. The National Socialists supplanted
9167-493: The substance of the constitution", to create "clear responsibilities" and to "preclude anti-constitutional experiments". The Centre advocated a return to Brüning's " authoritarian democracy ", which they considered up to the times and tested by experience, against Papen's "omnipotent state and independent leadership", while the Nazis would only accept a coalition that would serve their purpose of achieving total dominance. Not expecting
9270-411: The support of the Weimar Coalition and the national liberal German People's Party (DVP). Social Democrats and DVP found it hard to agree on economic policy while Social Democrats disagreed with the Centre Party on issues like religious schools or a nationwide Concordat with the Holy See. Following the 1920 elections, the Centre's Constantin Fehrenbach formed a minority government in a coalition with
9373-576: The victorious right-wing candidate Paul von Hindenburg with 48.3%. In May 1926 Chancellor Luther resigned and Marx again assumed the chancellorship. In June 1928, the general elections resulted in losses for the government parties and in gains for the Social Democrats and the Communists . The Grand Coalition of 1923 was revived, this time including the BVP and the Social Democrat Hermann Müller became chancellor. During
9476-412: The years of the Weimar Republic, debates about the Catholic character of the party, as described above, persisted. The left-wing of the party, led by Erzberger and Wirth, had close ties to the Catholic workers' associations led by Joseph Joos . Some politicians on the right wing of the party, including Heinrich Brauns and Franz von Papen , advocated a move towards the right and a closer cooperation with
9579-532: Was expelled and the town became part of the re-established Polish Republic according to the Potsdam Agreement , given its historic Polish name Morąg . A garrison of the Polish Army was located in the town. From May 2010 to 2011 the town was the garrison of a United States Army Patriot Missile Defense battery. Morąg is a member of Cittaslow . After a fire in 1697 only Dohna Palace and
9682-677: Was again captured by Poland in 1520, after the local commander, Czech mercenary Wurgel Drahnicky, who wanted to defend the castle, was forced to submit to the Poles by the townspeople and his own troops. Upon the Protestant Reformation and the secularisation of the Order's State in 1525 it became part of Ducal Prussia , remaining a Polish fief until 1657. The estates were held by Colonel Peter von Dohna (1483–1553), Lord of Schlobitten , whose son Achatius von Dohna (1533–1619) had
9785-560: Was appointed Chancellor, but he could not overcome the dominance of the military leadership of Hindenburg and Ludendorff . When a parliamentary system of government was introduced in October 1918, the new chancellor Max von Baden appointed representatives from the Centre party, the Social Democrats and the left-liberals as ministers. After the fall of the monarchy in the German Revolution of 1918–1919 , conflict arose between
9888-470: Was built on its place by the invading Teutonic Knights after they destroyed the original settlement in the late 13th century. Part of the Order's State , it was given the name Mohrungen after a nearby lake and in 1327 attained Kulm town law from the local commander ( Komtur ) Hermann von Oettingen. The first inhabitants of the town were emigrants from the southern Harz region in central Germany. After
9991-484: Was convened to draw up a German constitution, a "Catholic club" was formed. This was not yet a comprehensive party, but a loose union aimed at protecting the Church's liberties in a future Germany, supported by many petitions from the " [Pope] Pius federations for religious liberty". The later demise of the National Assembly proved to be a major setback for Political Catholicism. In the Kingdom of Prussia ,
10094-486: Was less successful in the school question. Although religious education remained an ordinary subject in most schools, the comprehensive, inter-denominational schools became default. The Centre Party, whose pragmatic principles generally left it open to supporting either a monarchical or republican form of government, proved one of the mainstays of the Weimar Republic , continuing the cooperation with SPD and DDP in
10197-478: Was met with passionate opposition by the greater part of Catholic public, especially since it also included the Christian trade unions and other Catholic organisations. No side could win the upper hand, when the outbreak of World War I ended the dispute. After the war, there were many proposals on how the reform the party. Heinrich Brauns published the Cologne Program (Kölner Programm), which proposed
10300-767: Was named the Centre Party due to the fact that in Parliament the Catholics sat between the Liberals on the left and the Conservatives on the right as opposed to the party adhering to centrism in the modern context. Also in other German states Catholic parties were formed, cooperating with the Prussian Centre Party in the Reichstag: The Catholic People's Party was formed in the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1869, and merged into
10403-611: Was no definite Church position, the group soon disintegrated and disappeared from parliament after 1867. Growing anti-Catholic sentiment and policies, including plans for dissolving all monasteries in Prussia, made it clear that a reorganisation of the group was urgently needed in order to protect Catholic minority rights, enshrined in the 1850 constitution, and to bring them over to the emerging nation state. In June 1870, Peter Reichensperger called on Catholics to unite and, in October, priests, representatives of Catholic federations and
10506-503: Was not unanimously approved by the alliance's members. His insistence on uncritical attachment to the abdicated Kaiser and his rigid hostility towards the Catholic Church contributed to the increasing isolation of the Protestant church in German society, and in particular in relationship to the proletariat and to bourgeois democracy. Doehring also refused increasingly urgent prospective interdenominational political cooperation with state-preserving Catholic forces, which had been drifting towards
10609-569: Was supposed to break the deadlock of the war but instead led to the United States entry into the war . As the war continued, many of the leaders of the Centre's left wing, particularly Matthias Erzberger , came to support a negotiated settlement, and Erzberger was key in the passage of the Reichstag Peace Resolution of 1917. The same year, the Centre's Georg von Hertling , formerly Minister-President of Bavaria ,
#750249