Culture Wars Secular-Catholic Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Europe

Twelve essays from a team of European experts examine the struggle that broke out between secular and religious forces in late nineteenth-century Europe. They highlight the role of trans-national forces and their interaction with local conditions. This collection combines an account of the impact of secular-religious strife, at the level of high politics, with case studies that elucidate the meaning of culture war for specific regions and communities.

Across nineteenth-century Europe, the emergence of constitutional and democratic nation-states was accompanied by intense conflict between Catholics and anticlerical forces. At its peak, this conflict touched virtually every sphere of social life: schools, universities, the press, marriage and gender relations, burial rites, associational culture, the control of public space, folk memory and the symbols of nationhood. In short, these conflicts were 'culture wars', in which the values and collective practices of modern life were at stake. These 'culture wars' have generally been seen as a chapter in the history of specific nation-states. Yet it has recently become increasingly clear that the Europe of the mid- and later nineteenth century should also be seen as a common politico-cultural space. This book breaks with the conventional approach by setting developments in specific states within an all-European and comparative context, offering a fresh and revealing perspective on one of modernity's formative conflicts.

List of illustrations; List of contributors; Introduction: the European culture wars Christopher Clark and Wolfram Kaiser; 1. The New Catholicism and the European culture wars Christopher Clark; 2. 'Clericalism - that is our enemy!': European anticlericalism and the culture wars Wolfram Kaiser; 3. 'Priest hits girl': on the front line in the 'war of the two Frances' James McMillan; 4. The battle for monasteries, cemeteries and schools: Belgium Els Witte; 5. Contested rituals and the battle for public space: the Netherlands Peter Jan Margry and Henk te Velde; 6. Nonconformity, clericalism and 'Englishness': the United Kingdom J. P. Parry; 7. The assault on the city of the Levites: Spain Julio de la Cueva; 8. Roma o morte: culture wars in Italy Martin Papenheim; 9. Enemies at the gate: the Moabit Klostersturm and the Kulturkampf: Germany Manuel Borutta; 10. Village quarrels and national controversies: Switzerland Heidi Bossard-Borner; 11. The counter-reformation's last stand: Austria Laurence Cole; 12. The uncivil origins of civil marriage: Hungary Robert Nemes; Annotated bibliography; Index.

This book is about the struggle that broke out between secular and religious forces in late nineteenth-century Europe. With its genuinely European focus and its innovative approach, this volume offers a fresh and revealing perspective on one of the main formative conflicts of modern European history.

Dr Christopher Clark is Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Cambridge.
Wolfram Kaiser is Professor of European Studies at the University of Portsmouth, UK, and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. He has published numerous books, journal articles and book chapters, especially in the field of European Union history and politics, Christian democracy and the history of globalisation.