This dissertation examines Catholic women's organizations in West Germany from 1945 to 1968. Women in organizations like the Central Association of Catholic Women and Mothers' Organizations (ZKFM) were important agents of change within both West German society and the Catholic Church. Despite being largely left out of scholarly discussions about the postwar period, West German Catholic women and the knowledge they created fundamentally shaped the intellectual culture of the Catholic milieu during this era. The ZKFM, and other organizations like it, gave Catholic women a platform within the Church that both limited the scope of their ideas and actions, but also provided these women with networks and connections that empowered them to effectively challenge Catholic dogma and tradition and to intervene in West German debates about women's role in family, society, and state. By studying the intellectual work of Catholic women and their organizational labor, I argue that we can better understand the relationship between women, the Church, and West German society. This dissertation explores how interactions between conceptions of gender and Catholic faith are integral to understanding both women's place within the structures of Church and state and also how women worked to shape these structures to their own ends. Women in the ZKFM expressed a wide diversity of opinions, and the organization allowed and encouraged new interpretations on both faith and gender that helped to set the association's agenda moving forward. While influenced by conservative Catholic tradition and a conservative West German state, the diversity within the ZKFM also emboldened members to explore feminist ideas and other progressive pursuits. When we look closely at ZKFM conferences, publications, benevolent activities, and public interventions, we can see that these women and their intellectual work played a significant role in shaping the landscape of postwar West Germany.
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