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| 1871 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von |  |
| Among the measures taken to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church was the addition of þ 130a to the German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch), which threatened clergy who discussed politics from the pulpit with two years of prison |
| 1872 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| The estate of the Church was confiscated, monastic orders dissolved, and the paragraphs of the Prussian constitution assuring the freedom of the Catholics is removed |
| May The Jesuits are banned (and remained banned in Germany until 1917) |
| May Under the May Laws administered by Adalbert Falk, the state begins to monitor the education of clergy closely, creates a secular court for cases involving the clergy, and requires notification of all clergy employment |
| June Religious schools are forced to undergo official government inspection and religious teachers are banned from government schools |
| Dec The German government breaks off diplomatic relations with the Vatican |
| 1872 | Falk, Adalbert | |
| Minister Falk orders all classes of religion to be held in German by the spring of the following year |
| The wave of protests on the side of Polish Catholics and the clergy is pacified when the Catholic Seminaries of Posen and Gniezno are closed down, and the state takes up the supervision of education |
| May After the Falk Laws (May Laws) had been passed, the Prussian authorities start to close down most of schools teaching the Polish language |
| May The estate of the Church was confiscated, monastic orders dissolved, and the paragraphs of the Prussian constitution assuring the freedom of the Catholics is removed |
| May Under the May Laws administered by Adalbert Falk, the state begins to monitor the education of clergy closely, creates a secular court for cases involving the clergy, and requires notification of all clergy employment |
| 1873 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Berlin Bismarck sees the addition of the southern German states (especially Catholic Bavaria) as a possible threat to the Empire's stability |
| Berlin Tensions were also increased by the 1870 Vatican Council proclamation on papal infallibility |
| Berlin The term "Kulurkampf" is 1st used to describe Bismark's crusade against the Catholics |
| Berlin Two archbishops are in prison & 1300 parishes do not have a priest |
| 1873 | Gerlach, Ludwig von | |
| Berlin Opposes Bismarck's Kulturkampf policies |
| 1874 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Bismarck even blames the poisoning of a popular lion from Berlin Zoological Gardens on Catholic conspirators |
| Bismarck's attempts to restrict the power of the Catholic Church, represented in politics by the Catholic Centre Party, were not successful, in the 1874 elections, these forces double their representation in the parliament |
| 13th July Bad Kissingen Eduard Kullmann attempts to assassinate Bismarck with a pistol, but only hits his hand, Kullmann names the church laws as the reason why he had to shoot Bismarck |
| 1874 | Kullmann, Eduard | |
| 13th July Bad Kissingen Eduard Kullmann attempts to assassinate Bismarck with a pistol, but only hits his hand, Kullmann names the church laws as the reason why he had to shoot Bismarck |
| 1875 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Marriage becomes a mandatory civil ceremony, removed from the control of the Church |
| 1878 | Bismarck-Schonhausen, Otto Furst von | |
| Berlin Falk is dismissed & most anti-Catholic laws are dismantled |
| Berlin Pius dies & is replaced by the conciliatory Leo X |
| The struggle against socialism unites Bismarck with the Catholic Centre Party, bringing an end to the Kulturkampf, which had led to far greater Catholic unrest than existed beforehand and had strengthened rather than weakened Catholicism |
| 1878 | Falk, Adalbert | |
| Falk is dismissed & most anti-Catholic laws dismantled |
| Pope Pius dies & is replaced by the more conciliatory Leo X |