Kartellverband katholischer deutscher Studentenvereine (KV, English: Cartel Association of Catholic German Student Societies) is a German umbrella organization for Catholic student organizations. KV was incorporated in Berlin, Germany in 1865, with principles are based on religion, scholarship, and friendship.. Its membership includes more than 70 active student organizations, primarily in Germany, but also in Austria, Belgium, and Switzerland. KV represents a collective membership of around 16,000 students.
Contents
History
Before and during World War I, 1853–1918
The process of forming Catholic students' corporations began in 1853, when several couleur-wearing ones (Farbentragende katholische Studentenverbindungen) independently prepared an inter-association group under the initial title Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen; the organization suffered schism in its first year. In 1865, a successful new non-couleur-wearing alliance under the present name was incorporated at Berlin on the twelfth anniverssry of the incorporation of Katholische Leseverein.
The initial association consisted of five non-couleur-wearing student corporations (Nichtfarbentragende katholische Studentenvereine): the K.St.V. Askania-Burgundia Berlin, established November 29, 1853 as the Katholische Leseverein, at Humboldt-Universität, Berlin; the K.St.V. Unitas-Breslau, established March 4, 1863, at Universitas Wratislaviensis, Breslau, Lower Silesia (Wrocław, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, from 1945); the K.St.V. Arminia Bonn, established November 6, 1863, at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia; the K.St.V. Germania, established March 7, 1864, at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia; and the K.St.V. Walhalla Würzburg, established 1864, at Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Würzburg, Franconia.
In 1865, the Kartellverband commenced its work in the intellectual, religious and cultural areas of the German society of the period. The same year saw the Kartellverband's first major adversity: a multilateral inquiry into the doctrine of Papal infallibility. The Cultural Struggle, a heavy burden on its member corporations, actually served to promote the Kartellverband to the point where, as of 1914, the Kartellverband had 51student corporation members.
Weimar Republic, 1919–1932
After the Peace of Versailles, the Kartellverband's ranks swelled with returning war veterans, resulting in the establishment of numerous additional corporations including the Katholische Österreichere Studentenvereine at Vienna and Graz, Austria. By 1921, an Alumni Board (German: Philisterausschuß, lit. 'Philistine committee') was elected after much debate within the Kartellverband, the individual Studentenvereine having established alumni's unions (Philistervereine) from 1913; the principle of federal life governed the Board. From 1930, membership declined as a consequence of the economic crisis that started with the mass stock sell-off at the New York Stock Exchange on October 29, 1929.
Nazi Regime, 1932–1945
In March 1933, the Catholic bishops' resistance to the Nazi power grab weakened, and with it the will of the Studentenvereine to fight; the conclusion of the Reichskonkordat finished both off. Several corporations resisted, but were unable to halt the Kartellverband's collapse.
At the start of the Nazi regime, the corporations that were not prohibited were held for enlargement of their directors' boards. On September 1, 1933, at Frankfurt am Main, the Kartellverband was merged into the Ring katholischer deutscher Burschenschaften, despite objections from within, over the fact that a "color-carrying" and a "non-coleur-wearing" board had been combined; and from without, as the Deutsche Burschenschaft accused the RKDB of name infringement. The merger did not last long.
On July 10, 1933, the Studentenvereine in Austria severed ties with the Alliance on account of Austro-German tensions at the time, and incorporated an Österreichischer Cartellverband; the Kartellverband katholischer nichtfarbentragender akademischer Vereinigungen Österreichs incorporated on July 22 of the same year. Both Kartellverbände were forcibly decorporated on June 20, 1938, in the wake of the Nazi invasion and annexation of Austria (Anschluß Österreiches). The Kartellverband itself was forcibly decorporated in 1938 under the Third Reich's Verbot der Korporationsverbände.
After 1945
The Alliance was reincorporated immediately after the end of the Nazi regime. Many Kartellverband alumni were directly involved in the fledgeling government of the Federal Republic of Germany, newly incorporated in 1946, emerging at all Minister positions and the Federal Chancellory (Bundeskanzleramt). At the Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht), the Kartellverband was involved in the establishment of the liberal democratic basic order
(Freiheitlich-demokratische Grundordnung), with Gebhard Müller as Chief Justice and Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde and Paul Kirchhof as Associate Justices.
From 1968, the Kartellverband reorganized from the ground up, the primary innovation being the capacities of the member Students' Unions, in certain cases composed of non-Catholic Christians.
The Kartellverband is a member of the Labor-Congress of Catholic Associations (Arbeitsgemeinschaft katholischer Verbände) and the Labor-Congress of Catholic Student Associations (Arbeitsgemeinschaft katholischer Studentenverbände).
Symbols
Kartellverband's motto is "With God for German honor", but has not been used since the end of World War II. The Kartellverband holds to the principles or pillars of Faith, Science, and Friendship The Kartellverband of Austria additionally holds to the principle of Love of Home-Nation.
H. Kranforst designed the Kartellverband coat of arms, which was adopted in 1907. It uses the colors black, white, and red, which were the colors of the German Empire at the time. Its shield featured a cross in the upper left corner to symbolize the principle of faith, an eagle in the upper right corner, and a six-pointed star to symbolize science at the bottom, surrounded by a chain of friendship. Above the shield was a helmet. In 1995, the coat of arms was updated to include just the shield.
Kartellverband adopted its pin in 1924. The pin consists of the association's letters, with the letter "K" lying sideways above a large "V". In 1995, the association adopted a new logo based on the pin. Kartellverband colors are black, white, and red, which were the colors of the German Empire when the association adopted its coat of arms.
Member organizations
Most Kartellverband members have names starting with "Catholic student fraternity" or "K.St.V." for short. Following is a list of Kartellverband members, with active organizations indicated in bold and inactive groups in italics. Members may no longer have collegiate members, but still have an active alumni group.