How did Marxian socialism bring German workers into the anticlerical movement?

The rise of Marxian socialism played a significant role in bringing large segments of the German working population into the anticlerical movement. This shift was part of a broader historical context where anticlericalism, while not novel in Germany, was intellectually reinforced by ideas stemming from the French Revolution, such as the concept of the "lay state" and the promotion of free thought.1

Marxian socialism provided a framework that challenged the influence of religious institutions in public and social life. By emphasizing material conditions and social change, this ideology often positioned itself in opposition to the traditional authority of the clergy. This alignment was further complicated by the political landscape of the time, including the Kulturkampf—a struggle initiated by Otto von Bismarck to subject the Roman Catholic church to state controls—which created a complex environment where secular, liberal, and socialist interests sometimes intersected in their opposition to clerical power.123