Culture Wars: State, Religion and Popular Culture in Europe, 1400–1800

Abstract

To understand the witch trials it is, of course, necessary to understand broader developments in European society at the time, and, in this respect, general historical accounts of early modern history proffer a fascinating paradox. The period from the mid fifteenth to the eighteenth century was a period of considerable development in science, technology and educational schemes. In the long run, living conditions changed for the better even for the commonalty, no matter how selective and sporadic the enhancement. Up until the early twentieth century, some writers, influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, were bold enough to label this development as ‘progress’ and the course of history was seen to be a progressive advancement.1 Later generations, though, became much more cautious in attaching value judgements to historical occurrence, especially after the two world wars and other atrocities of the twentieth century. However, notwithstanding the fact that the word ‘progress’ appears little in current academic writing, many still see the improvement of social conditions and the development of western democracy as a progress incomparable with earlier centuries. To a great extent, European historiography can be seen as a grand narrative showing European nations’ — or Europeans’ — route from the supposed ‘Dark Ages’ of the medieval period, towards a modem society which we consider, despite its apparent shortcomings, superior to the living conditions of earlier centuries.2