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To: LeoMcNeil

France remained heavily Catholic through the end of the 19th century. The anti-religious elements of the Revolution were largely imposed on a still mostly rural and religious populace by the people of Paris.

The Commune was crushed the next time they tried this.

It would have made some sense for southern Germany and Austria to go anti-religious after the 30 Years War, but I have never seen any evidence they did.

I think you’re confusing elite and literate opinion with the people. For a century or so it was fashionable to be anticlerical in these countries, but even these folks were largely scared back into the Church fold by the Revolution. The peasants, most of the population, never left.

As an example, Austria was still heavily Catholic in the 30s, when a Catholic dictator ruled until dethroned by the Nazis. Same was true in Bavaria, where the Center Party, explicitly Catholic, was utterly dominant until the Nazis took over.


20 posted on 01/07/2015 2:03:04 PM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: Sherman Logan

So go the elites in society, so go the peasants.

Hitler was born in the 19th century in Austria. If you look at baptism records from 19th century Austria you’ll discover that the majority of children were bastards. Divorce was common, so was abandonment. The peasants may have participated in historic church rituals such as baptisms and holy days but the way they lived their lives was anything but Christian. France was much the same. The church remained part of peasant life but it was completely disconnected from how people lived their lives.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t devout Catholics among the peasantry in these countries. I read a biography of Hitler’s childhood awhile back, with regards to the church life of the people it reminded me of the US today. The church exists in the background. It jumps on center stage for special days like xmas or rituals like baptism but once those are out of the way it fades into the background and people return to behaving like godless animals.


22 posted on 01/08/2015 5:14:53 AM PST by LeoMcNeil
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