Christian Churches and Postwar Society

The enduring influence of religion in shaping postwar Europe.

This volume examines the role of Christian churches in Europe during the often-overlooked postwar period (ca. 1918–ca. 1925), enriching our understanding of the enduring influence of religion in the aftermath of conflict. Taking a multinational, multidenominational, and multidimensional perspective, the essays explore the complex religious landscapes of postwar Europe, the resilience of ecclesiastical networks, and the transnational loyalties connecting Europe and North America. By highlighting the enduring vitality of faith and religious institutions, this study provides fresh insights into the evolving roles of churches, religious movements, and communities. Together, the essays shed light on the broader religious landscape of postwar Europe and provide an invaluable resource for understanding the lasting impact of religion in a transformed world.

Introduction
Kristien Suenens, Michael Snape, and Martin Baumeister

1 Refusal or Reconciliation, Renewal or Revolution: European Churches and the Legacy of the First World War
Jan Bank

2 Archbishop Söderblom, Lutheranism, and Ecumenism in Interwar Europe (1918-1925)
Christian Chanel

3 The Holy See and the Nationalisation of the New Italian Provinces (1918-1928)
Daiana Menti

4 The French Catholic Clergy and New Forms of Ministry and Apostolate after the First World War
Xavier Boniface

5 Between the Great War and the ‘Great Repression’: Women Religious Institutes in Postwar Belgium
Kristien Suenens

6 Between Secularisation and Revitalisation: ‘Waves’ of Religiosity in the Czech Lands (1918–1925)
Tomáš W. Pavlíček

7 Religious Reorientations and the First World War: The ‘Provincialisation’ of Herrnhut and the ‘Invention’ of Schönstatt
Jan-Martin Zollitsch

8 The Church, Christian Charity, and the Rehabilitative Process of Wounded First World War Veterans in Interwar Britain
Bethany Rowley

9 American Quakers and Humanitarian Aid to Germany (1919-1922)
Laura Viktoria Huth and Daniel Maul

10 A Constant Trajectory: The Protestant Episcopal Church, the First World War, and its Aftermath
Michael Snape

Colophon

Kristien Suenens

Kristien Suenens is a senior researcher and heritage consultant at KADOC-KU Leuven, with a focus on the intersection of women's history and Catholicism.

Michael Snape

Michael Snape is the inaugural Michael Ramsey Professor of Anglican Studies at Durham University. He is an ecumenical lay canon of Durham Cathedral and a Fellow of the British Academy. He has published extensively on the history of religion and conflict.

Martin Baumeister

Martin Baumeister held the Chair in Contemporary European History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität of Munich from 2003 to 2017. Until 2024 he has been the director of the German Historical Institute in Rome. He has published widely on the history of contemporary Southern Europe and the Mediterranean with a focus on Italy and Spain.

Jan Bank

Christian Chanel

Daiana Menti

Xavier Boniface

Tomáš W. Pavlíček

Jan-Martin Zollitsch

Bethany Rowley

Laura Viktoria Huth

Daniel Maul

Kristien Suenens

Michael Snape