To what extent is the view expressed in source V a fair reflection on Bismarck’s domestic policies b
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... cally conscious. Although Bismarck tried extremely hard to remove opposition, his attempts were generally blundering failures. Bismarck clashed with the Catholic Church in a series of events referred to as the Kulturkampf. Bismarck thought that by repressing the Catholics, he would remove a potentially dangerous body capable of international conspiracy. This deep suspicion of the Catholic Church stemmed partially from his own protestant beliefs and partially from his realisation of the potential of the Catholic Church to become a real power within Germany. However, Bismarck underestimated the loyalty and religious consciousness of those who worshipped in the Catholic Church. Instead of crumpling under the new anti-catholic legislation, the church thrived on persecution and the political wing, known as the centre party, became strengthened even further. This example shows two key facts, first, that their were elements of the German society willing to resist Bismarck and his policies, and second, that Germany had not lost its political consciousness shown by the increase in the number of seats obtained by the centre party.
Bismarck made a similar mistake in his dealings with the s ...
