Throughout the middle years of the twentieth century George Bell, bishop of Chichester 1929-57, was deeply involved in the ecumenical movement and the political life of Europe. His sustained commitment to German affairs was demonstrated by his ten visits to Germany, between 1928 and 1957. They are documented in extensive travel `diaries', some of them purely personal and others circulated confidentially to fellow church leaders at the time. Together with other related sources, they provide extraordinary insights into the struggles of the German churches during and after the Third Reich. Equally, they demonstrate the profound difficulties which English Christians faced in coming to terms with a very different Protestant Christianity, and a disturbingly violent political culture.
ANDREW CHANDLER teaches in the Department of History at the University of Birmingham.