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« 2025. # 4 (184)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2025. № 4 (184), 920—929

UDK94(44)”17/18″:322

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

RELIGIOUS POLICY OF FRANCE DURING AGE OF REVOLUTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FIGHT AGAINST COMMUNITARIANISM

BARAN Zoya

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9685-3953
  • Candidate of History, Associate Professor, 
  • Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, 
  • Department of World Modern History, 
  • 1, Universytetska str., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: е-mail: zoja_baran@ukr.net

SYPKO Bogdana

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3136-9340 
  • Candidate of History, Associate Professor, 
  • The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv,
  • Department of World Modern History,
  • 1, Universytetska str., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: е-mail: bogdanasypko@gmail.com

Abstract. Introduction. The term communautarisme entered in French socio-political discourse at the turn of the ХХ—ХХІ centuries, and is explained as a socio-political project that seeks to subject members of a specific group to norms that are considered inherent to this community, that is, to control the thoughts, beliefs, and behavior of everyone who belongs to this group.

Problem Statement. Despite the fact that communitarianism is a neologism, we believe that the religious policy of France during the Revolution’s era (1789—1871) was determined precisely by the desire to overcome the imaginary religious communitarianism.

Purpose is on the basis of the works of enlighteners, constitutional acts, as well as the achievements of modern historiography, to analyze how the French authorities tried to deprive it of the signs of communitarianism.

Methods. The general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as special scientific comparative-historical and chronological methods are used in the work. The authors adhere to the principle of historicism.

Results. Under the influence of the ideas of Voltaire and Rousseau, the revolutionaries viewed Christianity as a religion that weakened the ties of the individual with society, because it created a community whose interests were supposedly placed above the needs of the French people and were under foreign influence. Therefore, at first they tried to «adapt» Christianity and in the conditions of strengthening of anti-French coalitions, Christians were accused of a lack of patriotism and were created new cults — of Reason, which later was transformed into the cult of the Supreme Being. Since the population did not accept these experiments, Thermidorians returned to the «normalization» of Christianity. The Concordat of 1801 consolidated the main achievement of the revolutionaries — the Catholic religion ceased to be the state religion and at the same time got rid of foreign influences. The following constitutional acts took into account these realities.

Conclusion. The fight against communitarianism, de facto initiated at the end of the XVIII century, later resulted in the concept of secularism in religious policy, and in assimilation in immigration policy.

Keywords: age of Revolutions, communitarianism, Constitution, Napoleon, Enlightenment, religious politics, secularism, France.

Received 5.07.2025

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