Religion in West European Politics by Berger, Suzanne;

Short description:

First published in 1982, Religion in West European Politics explores the possibilities for new politics following the gradual unravelling of the old ties between religion and conservatism that had largely characterised the politics of religion in Western Europe in the two centuries following the French Revolution.

Long description:

First published in 1982, Religion in West European Politics explores the possibilities for new politics following the gradual unravelling of the old ties between religion and conservatism that had largely characterised the politics of religion in Western Europe in the two centuries following the French Revolution.

Together, the essays in this volume assess the causes of the simultaneous decline in traditional forms of religious practice and expansion of Left political attitudes and behaviour, moving away from simplified notions that these changes can be attributed just to processes such as modernisation or industrialisation. In doing so, the book raises questions about the effects that the detachment of religion from its traditional moorings may have on politics in Western European states, and the impact it may have on the socialisation of future generations.

Table of Contents:

Introduction; 1: Religious Acculturation and Political Socialisation in France; 2: The Left and the Catholic Question in Spain; 3: Christian Militants in the French Left; 4: The Political Cultures of French Catholicism; 5: The Catholic Church and Italian Politics: The Impact of Secularisation; 6:Christians and Marxists in Allende's Chile: Lessons for Western Europe; 7: Dutch Pillarisation on the Move? Political Destabalisation and Religious Change; 8: Politics and the Pulpit: The Case of Protestant Europe; 9: From Princes to Pastors: The Changing Position of the Anglican Episcopate in English Society and Politics