ABSTRACT
This chapter shows the popularity of Old Catholicism within the broader spectrum of the liberal subculture of Greater Swabia. An analysis of the social structure of Old Catholic communities in South Baden reveals that the educated bourgeoisie were not the only leading sector among Old Catholics. The position of the city of Konstanz as the centre of resistance to the Roman Catholic Church might explain the broader effect of the new religion in South Baden. The main event which officially marked the spread of the Old Catholic movement was the petition signed by 670 Catholics on 9 February 1873 in Konstanz. Declaring their support for the Old Catholic Church and requesting the government to allocate them one of the Catholic churches in Konstanz for their religious rituals. The religious struggle between Old Catholics and the Catholic Church turned partly into a class struggle between part of the local bourgeoisie and the lower classes.
