Confessional Breakdown of the German Population (1871 and 1910) The confessional division of Germany between Protestant and Catholic is one of the defining features of modern German history. In the wake of the Reformation, political and confessional divisions often went hand in hand. Political unification in 1871 did little to change the religious map of Germany. Confession remained a central political issue, especially in the wake of the Kulturkampf of the 1870s, a policy of persecution directed against the large German Catholic minority by Otto von Bismarck, who remained Prussian minister president after unification.
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page 1 of 1 I. Confessional Breakdown of the German Population (December 1, 1871) State and region On December 1, 1871, for every 10,000 residents, there were: Christian Jewish Other or no religion given Evangelical (Protestant) Roman Catholic Other Prov. East Prussia 8,609 1,278 34 79 0,1 Prov. West Prussia 4,819 4,880 98 203 0,3 City of Berlin 8,904 626 31 436 3 Prov. Brandenburg 9,760 170 14 56 0,1 Prov. Pomerania 9,761 118 30 91 0,0 Prov. Posen 3,228 6,374 7 391 0,1 Prov. Silesia 4,749 5,115 10 126 0,3 Prov. Saxony 9,351 603 18 28 0,1 Prov. Schleswig-Holstein 9,894 60 10 36 0,1 Prov. Hanover 8,727 1,191 17 65 0,1 Prov. Westphalia 4,543 5,347 13 97 0,1 Prov. Hesse-Nassau 7,056 2,655 28 259 2 Prov. Rhineland 2,534 7,343 16 107 0,1 Hohenzollern 269 9,618 5 108 -             Kingdom of Prussia 6,497 3,349 22 132 0,3             Kingdom of Bavaria 2,761 7,123 11 104 1             Kingdom of Saxony 9,755 209 19 13 3 Württemberg 6,867 3,044 21 67 0,2 Baden 3,359 6,449 16 176 0,2 Hesse 6,852 2,803 46 297 2 Mecklenburg-Schwerin 9,921 24 2 53 0,4 Hamburg 9,044 229 93 407 227 Alsace-Lorraine 1,744 7,973 14 264 5             German Reich 6,231 3,621 20 125 5 II. Confessional Breakdown of the German Population (December 1, 1910) State and region On December 1, 1910, for every 10,000 residents, there were: Christian Jewish Evangelical (Protestant) Roman Catholic Other           Prov. East Prussia 8,434 1,409 84 3 Prov. West Prussia 4,632 5,182 99 82 City of Berlin 8,155 1,173 53 434 Prov. Brandenburg 8,984 734 50 150 Prov. Pomerania 9,536 328 70 52 Prov. Posen 3,079 6,773 20 126 Prov. Silesia 4,208 5,669 25 86 Prov. Saxony 9,161 753 23 25 Prov. Schleswig-Holstein 9,556 330 61 21 Prov. Hanover 8,513 1,372 43 63 Prov. Westphalia 4,722 5,143 58 51 Prov. Hesse-Nassau 6,839 2,824 56 233 Prov. Rhineland 2,946 6,903 41 80 Hohenzollern 503 9,437 2 57           Kingdom of Prussia 6,182 3,631 47 104           Kingdom of Bavaria 2,821 7,061 20 80           Kingdom of Saxony 9,405 491 53 37 Württemberg 6,856 3,036 53 49 Baden 3,856 5,932 62 121 Hesse 6,615 3,101 52 188 Mecklenburg-Schwerin 9,618 320 20 22 Hamburg 9,163 503 42 199 Alsace-Lorraine 2,178 7,629 21 165           German Reich 6,159 3,669 46 95 Source: Statistisches Jahrbuch für das Deutsche Reich [Statistical Almanac for the German Reich],1880, p. 13 and 1913, p. 11. Reprinted in Gerd Hohorst, Jürgen Kocka, and Gerhard A. Ritter, Sozialgeschichtliches Arbeitsbuch: Materialien zur Statistik des Kaiserreichs 1870-1914 [Social History Workbook: Materials on Kaiserriech Statistics 1870-1914]. 2 vols., Munich, 1975, vol. 2, pp. 54-55. Translation: Thomas Dunlap
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