How did Otto von Bismarck end the Kulturkampf?

Otto von Bismarck ended the Kulturkampf by adopting a pragmatic approach after realizing that his aggressive anti-Catholic measures were counterproductive. The struggle, which aimed to subject the Roman Catholic Church to state control, had instead strengthened the political influence of the Centre Party, whose support Bismarck needed for his shifting political priorities, including his opposition to the Social Democrats.123

The transition toward compromise was facilitated by the death of Pope Pius IX and the election of Leo XIII in 1878, who favored diplomacy. Bismarck gradually retreated from his hardline stance, and by 1882, diplomatic relations between Germany and the Vatican were restored. By 1887, when Leo XIII officially declared the conflict over, most of the restrictive anti-Catholic legislation had been repealed or significantly reduced in severity. While the state maintained control over education and public records, the Kulturkampf ultimately left a legacy of alienation among a generation of German Catholics.134