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Anti-clericalism is a liberal or socialist doctrine of opposition to the political authority, power and status of the clergy. In Europe the Catholic clergy were the special target of the currents of anti-clericalism which flourished in the post-Enlightenment era and influenced many European nationalist movements, including the French, Spanish, Italian and Irish revolutionary nationalist movements of the mid-19th century. In the 20th century, political cleavages between clericalists and anti-clericalists shaped electoral support for parties, especially in Italy and France. Anti-clericalist movements range from having particularist objectives (for example, getting rid of Jesuits) to general opposition to all types of clerical power (for instance, atheist campaigns in the USSR in the 1930s). A contemporary example of organized anti-clericalism is the movement in the US to prevent religious fundamentalists winning the right to practise religious activities in state schools. BO\'L
Further reading José Sánchez, Anticlericalism: a Brief History. |
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