Overview
The Papacy in the Age of Totalitarianism, 1914-1958 examines the most momentous years in papal history. Popes Benedict XV (1914-1922), Pius XI (1922-1939), and Pius XII (1939-1958) faced the challenges of two world wars and the Cold War, and threats posed by totalitarian dictatorships like Italian Fascism, German National Socialism, and Communism in Russia and China. The wars imposed enormous strains upon the unity of Catholics and the hostility of the totalitarian regimes to Catholicism lead to the Church facing persecution and martyrdom on a scale similar to that experienced under the Roman Empire and following the French Revolution. At the same time, these were years of growth, development, and success for the papacy. Benedict healed the wounds left by the 'modernist' witch hunt of his predecessor and re-established the papacy as an influence in international affairs through his peace diplomacy during the First World War. Pius XI resolved the 'Roman Question' with Italy and put papal finances on a sounder footing. He also helped reconcile the Catholic Church and science by establishing the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and took the first steps to move the Church away from entrenched anti-Semitism. Pius XI continued his predecessor's policy of the 'indigenisation' of the missionary churches in preparation for de-colonisation. Pius XII fully embraced the media and other means of publicity, and with his infallible promulgation of the Assumption in 1950, he took papal absolutism and centralism to such heights that he has been called the 'last real pope'. Ironically, he also prepared the way for the Second Vatican Council.
Full Product Details
Author: John Pollard (Fellow of Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, Anglia University, and Balsdon Fellow of the British School at Rome, 2013-2014)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.70cm
, Height: 3.00cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.818kg
ISBN: 9780198766155
ISBN 10: 0198766157
Pages: 562
Publication Date: 28 April 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
Pollard's book portrays the three popes as diplomats as well as pastors. The integration of these two papal roles as well as the global mileu of papal concern are commendabale features of the book. Hilmar M.Patel, The Tablet
Pollard's book portrays the three popes as diplomats as well as pastors. The integration of these two papal roles as well as the global mileu of papal concern are commendabale features of the book. Hilmar M.Patel, The Tablet a judicious, nuanced, and well-informed examination. Lauren Faulkner Rossi, Contemporary Church History Quarterly
Pollard's book portrays the three popes as diplomats as well as pastors. The integration of these two papal roles as well as the global mileu of papal concern are commendabale features of the book. Hilmar M.Patel, The Tablet a judicious, nuanced, and well-informed examination. Lauren Faulkner Rossi, Contemporary Church History Quarterly This is a book that will please scholars and students, most certainly, but also a much wider audience looking for a new approach to one of the most eventful periods of the twentieth century. Dianne Kirby, Journal of Contemporary History
Author Information
John Pollard is a British historian, fellow of Trinity Hall at University of Cambridge and Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at Anglia Polytechnic University. His publications include Money and the Rise of the Modern Papacy: Financing the Vatican, 1850-1950 (Cambridge University Press, 2008) and Benedict XV: The Pope of Peace (Burns and Oates Ltd., 2005).
