Why read The Battle for the Catholic Past in Germany, 1945-1980?

Book cover of The Battle for the Catholic Past in Germany, 1945-1980

Book description

Were Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church in Germany unduly singled out after 1945 for their conduct during the National Socialist era? Mark Edward Ruff explores the bitter controversies that broke out in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1945 to 1980 over the Catholic Church's relationship to the…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Battle for the Catholic Past in Germany, 1945-1980 as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Kevin P. Spicer and Rebecca Carter-Chand

Author

Ruff has produced a tour de force examination of the behind-the-scenes historiography of the Catholic Church in Nazi Germany. A deeply and richly researched study, it enables both specialists and non-specialists alike to comprehend the complex and tempestuous writing of the history of the Catholic Church’s choices during Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s years in power. In particular, Ruff delves into the storm over Rolf Hochhuth’s controversial play, The Deputy, to help us understand the current controversies over the choices of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust.

From Kevin's list on Catholic churches in Hitler’s Germany.