Volksverein für das katholische Deutschland

The People's Association for Catholic Germany (German: Volksverein für das katholische Deutschland) was a German political party founded on 24 October 1890 by Mönchengladbach manufacturer Franz Brandt and Catholic theologian and member of the Reichstag Franz Hitze, with participation by politicians Ludwig Windthorst and Franz Graf von Ballestrem. Its origins lay in Cologne but the founders chose Mönchengladbach as its base. Their aim was to counter the Social Democratic Party by addressing social problems from a Catholic standpoint.

After the close of the Bismarck's Kulturkampf, new problems confronted the Catholic population of Germany. Because of the political union of Germany and its protective commercial policy from 1879, German economic life was greatly strengthened. The increase of manufacturing on a large scale, the partial change of many country towns into manufacturing centres, the crowding together of human beings in the manufacturing districts all changes made questions of social needs of increasing importance. The Social Democrats, in anticipation of the overthrow of the laws against Socialism, were making preparations for the establishment of a well-organized association throughout Germany, including among the Catholic population.

Windthorst, the leader of the German Catholics, felt that it was not sufficient for the Centre Party, seen as the main representative of German Catholics, to be the only champion of legislation in favour of working people; the public also must be won over to the support of social reform. The decree of the young Kaiser Wilhelm (February, 1890), the pope's letter to the Archbishop of Cologne (April, 1890), and the pastoral letter of the Prussian bishops issued at their meeting at Fulda contributed to that view. For these reasons Windthorst thought a Catholic social organization should be founded which was to include the whole of Germany. During the deliberations of the committee of organization, Windthorst demanded with all the force of his personal influence an organization that should oppose above all the Social Democrats; moreover, the end to be sought in questions of social economics should be the encouragement and exercise of right principles.

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