'How far did European Society become less religious as a result of the 'Age of Revolutions'?

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Alex Ewing 03036224

‘How far did European Society become less religious as a result of the ‘Age of Revolutions’?

The ‘age of revolutions’ were seen by many and still are, as a time of extreme change, conflict and hostility, perhaps induced or brought about by new changes in thought, interpretation of natural law, religious ideals and the ruling authority/government. The revolutions of Europe furthermore provided large parts of society with the strong and fervent belief that different systems within this world could indeed be challenged and that new ideologies could be implemented and maintained. The French Revolution seemed to usher a new confidence into the common people, with the belief that they could actually change things and that it was possible and maybe even their right to dissociate themselves from the ancien regime, the old and seemingly rigid structure from whence they had come.

        It is essential to consider the legacy of intellectual movements such as the enlightenment with regard to the effect of secularisation within Europe within the period 1750 to 1850. If indeed the ‘age of revolutions’ did have an effect upon religious change and conformity, we must not presume that it was simply this one factor that produced this change.

         Now it is of great importance that we recognise the nomothetic nature of the question, in as far as the question states in one sense an area too vast to be covered in full. Other factors must therefore be taken into account, however for the purpose of this question I shall concentrate specifically upon how the ‘age of revolutions’ modified or altered the shape of religious consistency. This is because; in order to respond to the question as fully as possible it is necessary to narrow the answer down. Indeed, I shall be taking into account the specific examples of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Industrial Revolution within England.

And we will no longer have nobles or priests
"We will win, we will win, we will win,""
Equality will reign throughout the land/world
And the Austrian slave will follow it.
"We will win, we will win, we will win,"(Ca Ira, French Revolutionary song)

Essentially, these two revolutions are significantly different. For example, the very nature of the Industrial Revolution within England provided the people with an ideal towards greater freedom and cultural expression, as consumerism began to dominate society. France on the other hand, was more visibly concerned with the issue of religion than England was. However, some historians agree with the view that the French and Industrial Revolutions both stemmed from the enlightenment. The nature of absolutism and the belief that divine providence should dominate the Feudalistic rise of power within France was quintessentially the issue here. This simply led to a change in attitude and a turn towards cultural hegemonic values. However great the immediate differences, this does not necessarily mean that the effect upon religion will be different.

        Holistically, European society was vastly diverse in both development and culture alike and areas of Europe, particularly within eastern regions, were largely unaffected and sometimes even unaware of revolutionary and reactionary movements and progressions within their same continent. It is for this reason also that the question should be narrowed down, so that in no way should the answer reflect an idiographic analysis of the topic in question.

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        By looking at how European society became ‘less religious’ as a result of the age of revolutions, the issue of secularisation seems to materialise. Now secularisation refers to the declining influence of religion and religious values within a given culture or society. It is essentially difficult to analyse the rate of secularisation, because this simply cannot be mathematically and systematically measured. For example, would showing the differences in church attendances truly demonstrate the degree of secularisation within England or France? Many figures are often biased and look specifically upon the attendance figures for the Church of England. Essentially then, when ...

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