Catholic Church and state relations in French education in the nineteenth century: the struggle between laïcité and religion

Abstract

This article traces the conflicts and compromises between the Catholic Church and the French state and the struggle for dominance in education between these two forces during the nineteenth century. It explores their varying relations up to the law of separation in 1905. It also poses the question as to why a country traditionally wedded to Catholicism came to be ideologically opposed to it. Rather than inheriting an ideology opposed to religion per se, it is argued, the legacy from the French Revolution has been one of egalitarianism which has persisted. The Church during this period supported anti-revolutionary and reactionary political forces. This created hostility towards the Church and brought about huge popular support for anticlericalism.