kulturkampf
/kʊlˈtʊə(ɹ)ˌkɑmf/
kulturkampf means A conflict between secular and religious authorities, especially the struggle between the Roman Catholic Church and the German government under Bismarck. It carries an Arena rating of 1530, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, kulturkampf ranks #210 of 13,226 for Most Incisive Words, #991 of 13,226 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,095 of 13,226 for Most Storied Words, #2,324 of 13,226 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
kulturkampf is pronounced /kʊlˈtʊə(ɹ)ˌkɑmf/.
Why “kulturkampf” is a great word
A state-led campaign, particularly a historical one, waged by secular authorities to subordinate the institutional power and political influence of a religious body. Borrowed from German Kulturkampf, from Kultur ("culture") + Kampf ("struggle, fight, conflict"). First used in English in 1879 to name Chancellor Bismarck's systematic legal assault on the Catholic Church. Unlike a "theocracy," which is rule by religious authorities, or a diffuse modern "culture war" over social values, a Kulturkampf is a formal, legislative siege mounted by the state itself. It is the specific chill of a seminary being shuttered, the administrative weight of a law requiring civil marriage, and the quiet exile of a bishop—the cold machinery of government deployed to redraw the boundary between altar and throne, replacing one kind of faith with another.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Kulturkampf (“culture conflict”).
noun
- A conflict between secular and religious authorities, especially the struggle between the Roman Catholic Church and the German government under Bismarck.“As the Roman Empire became Christian in the fourth century, the scene was set for a Kulturkampf of huge proportions.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- kultur 82% match — German culture or civilization, especially seen as authoritarian or racist during the period of world wars (1914-18 and 1939-45) vs kulturkampf →
- caesaropapism 81% match — The combination of state (originally imperial) power with religious authority; state authority over ecclesiastical matters. vs kulturkampf →
- gleichschaltung 80% match — The forced standardization of political and social institutions under an authoritarian regime, originally with reference to Nazi Germany. vs kulturkampf →
- concordat 80% match — A formal agreement between two parties, especially between a church and a state; specifically, an agreement between the Pope and a government. vs kulturkampf →
- iconomachy 80% match — Hostility to images as objects of worship. vs kulturkampf →
- chaoskampf 80% match — A battle between a deity and primordial chaos, especially in ancient Near Eastern mythology and/or religion. vs kulturkampf →
- atheocracy 80% match — An atheist or irreligious state. vs kulturkampf →
- dechristianization 80% match — The act of dechristianizing; the systematic removal of Christianity or Christian elements. vs kulturkampf →