From the end of the eighteenth century, throughout western Europe, the official clergy, champions of privilege and tradition, were challenged by religious dissenters and minorities. Chapel confronted church in Britain and Scandinavia; Catholics struggled against Protestants in Germany and Ireland. The war between anti-clerical and Catholic in France and Spain reached its climax in the Spanish Bloodbath of the 1930s. This book clearly maps out these polarizations and analyses the impact on religion of socialism, capitalism and the growth of cities. It examines the contrasts between the religion of the middle and working classes and between men and women. It discusses the appeal of movements like Methodism, Secularism, and Ultramontane Catholicism, and considers the crisis faced by the churches in many countries in the 1960s. A new concluding chapter examines the role of religion up to 1990, and how it has been affected by modern changes in society and beliefs.

About the Author
Hugh McLeod is Professor of Church History and Head of the Department of Theology at the University of Birmingham.

Reviews
This is an excellent resource for student reports on a variety of pressing issues. Belongs in every library that serves a religious studies department. * Religious Studies Review *
Most welcome in this text is the author's keen awareness of the place of gender in religious developments throughout the period. * Religious Studies Review *
The scope and the breadth of the author's analysis make this an excellent introduction. * Religious Studies Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780192892836
Author Hugh McLeod
Format Paperback
Page Count 198
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 13mm