The Protestant ruling classes of the pre-World War I German Empire took for granted that Martin Luther was the greatest of all German men. In the early twentieth century, however, Luther came under attack from Catholics, liberals, and socialists, groups who became the governing coalition of the Weimar Republic after Germany's defeat in World War I. Protestant conservatives struggled to win back power in the Weimar years - and one object of their battle was to restore the veneration of Martin Luther.