Est. of relationship/ dialogue between Churches and State

Question 1

what was the overarching goal of the SED towards Churches?

Answer 1

To limit their influence and control them

Question 2

In what decade did the Churches see more cooperation with the state?

Answer 2

the 1970s

Question 3

In which two ways were the state and church agreed during the 1970s?

Answer 3

For the Church to help with community ventures and for the movements involving peace and anti-nuclear sentiments

Question 4

In 1978 what happened?

Answer 4

The Concordat of 1978

Question 5

What was allowed in the Concordat?

Answer 5

• The Church allowed more media time
• The importation of religious books allowed from the West as demand wasn’t being satisfied as the numbers of religious adherents increased
• allowed to receive FRG currency for Church funds, especially for the renovation of Churches

Question 6

What did the Churches do increasingly more of during the 1970s, what did this lead to?

Answer 6

They reached out to the more vulnerable in society which lead to heightened suspicion from the SED because these people often opposed to socialism

Question 7

What did the SED never learn about the Churches in terms of control?

Answer 7

That they could not be controlled in the same way as SED Cadres could be because they were diverse

Question 8

What else did the SED fail to understand?

Answer 8

That people will more often than not follow their religious teachings than the current political ideology if there was conflict between the two

Question 9

There was also tension about what regarding popularity?

Answer 9

That the Church would enhance its popularity even if it meant going against the State because they (like many other religions) wanted to convert more people into their faith

Question 10

In what years did the state view the churches has a potential opposition group because they were dependent on the west for finance and ideology?

Answer 10

1945 -1969

Question 11

why did church leaders not really care about whether or not they had a relationship with the GDR?

Answer 11

the survival of the GDR was still uncertain

Question 12

What the name given to the fist decade of the GDR regarding the churches?

Answer 12

Kirchenkampf, or battle against the churches

Question 13

What group was formed within SED to coordinate church activities in the best interests of the state?

Answer 13

Secretariat for Church Affairs

Question 14

In October 1960 what did Ulbricht announce?

Answer 14

‘Christianity and the humanistic goals of socialism were not incompatible.’

Question 15

What Ulbricht’s statement focus on?

Answer 15

It allegedly focused on the common goals of peace

Recognised the importance of the Church in social welfare programmes

Question 16

While there was a somewhat of a closer relationship between Church and state it wasn’t wholly compliant. An example of this?

Answer 16

The creation of the Construction Force

Question 17

what percentage of funding did the churches receive from the FRG?

Answer 17

forty percent

Question 18

In what years where there cooperation between church and state?

Answer 18

1969-1978

Question 19

In 1971 Schonherr (two dots above o) made a speech that stated what?

Answer 19

‘we want to be a church not alongside, not against, but within socialism’

Question 20

In which two ways did the church and state cooperate socially?

Answer 20

• Church running care homes and helping out with community ventures
• Church tended to oppose nuclear armament in NATO much more vocally than in the Warsaw Pact

Question 21

In which ways did the church and state cooperate well politically?

Answer 21

• church gained GDR some international recognition as it appeared not to be persecuted
• church state alliance in keeping with ostpolitik

Question 22

In which years did compromise and contention happen?

Answer 22

1978-1989

Question 23

what was the height of cooperation?

Answer 23

The concordat of 1978

Question 24

What did Honecker agree that the churches could do? (as part of the concordat, not more media time, literature)

Answer 24

build churches and places of worship in places were religious participation had fallen (in newly residential areas)

Question 25

What did the SED finally recognise when Honecker came to power?

Answer 25

That a relationship between church and state had to be reaffirmed

Question 26

What percentage of synod meetings were packed with informers from the Stasi?

Answer 26

25%

Question 27

What was there little intention to do among influential Church figures?

Answer 27

That the Church would be centre of opposition to the regime

Question 28

What frustrated church groups and state groups about the relationship between 1978-1989? What was the common policy?

Answer 28

The church felt like they weren’t doing enough nor was the state exerting enough control, the common approach was to not compromise the 1978 Concordat

Question 29

What is the Manfred Stolpe dilemma?

Answer 29

He was an informer for the Stasi whilst being a prominent church figure too. policy of dualism common among many, as it allowed for people to show support for the regime whilst being at a position to best influence the worst excesses of the regime