The Religion of Populism

Developments in the Influence of Parisian Religion Between Napoleons (1814 –1848)

Religious Populism

• Un-centralized religion, free of formalisms• Loss in political power of the Church

• The new face of post-Bourbon Christianity

• Inspirational core of 19th Century socialism and modern French secularism

The Restoration (1815 – 1830)

• Louis XVIII pushed unpopular, religious laws:• Unbanning church-sponsored public ceremonies• Renaming the Panthèon• Oct. 1814: ecclesial schools mandated in universities

• Ultra-royalist factions pushed Louis• Concordat of 1516

• Sacrilege Act of 1824• Divine right of Kings?• Perhaps a power hungry church

End of the Ancien Règime

• The Church as a centralized, political force was proven obsolete by Napoleon

• Zeitgeist was afraid of returning to pre-Revolution values and hierarchies (Second Estate)

• Papal Jubilee of 1826**

A Story of Conspiracy• “Charles X actively participated in expiatory

processions in the context of the Papal Jubilee; in doing so he cemented…that the conception of monarchy which he believed in was more akin to being dramatized by the missionaries than that [of] Louis XVIII…Dressed in purple, the color of mourning for the kings of France, Charles X proceeded on foot with a candle in his hand, casting himself as one of the…subjects participating in such expiatory events…[This] spectacle gave rise to the widespread rumor that the king was in fact a bishop, secretly working to place the reins of power in the hands of clerics…” (Kroen, 2000).

July Monarchy (1830 -1848)

• The Orlean Monarchy wanted a return to Empire secularism and irreligiousity

• 1830-1832 Cross Collections

• Saint Genevieve re-named and virtually all religious laws removed.

• Religiosity was on the rise, however.

Religion without a Church

• Several poor communities engaged in pagan-like, Christian worship and ceremonies.

• Religion of Republicans, Socialists, Communists, and democratic minds.

• Marx, Leroux, Engels, and Philippe Buchez

• “Christianity is the religious dogma of equality, democracy is the political expression of that dogma. And Association is the practical means by which it can be realized” (Berenson, 1984).

A Unifying Faith

• A notable branch of these movement is called Saint-Simonainism founded by Herni de Saint-Simon

• New Chirstianity based on equality, free speech, and industry.

• Writings like Nouveau Christianisme inspiredmany republican and liberal intellectuals andIndustrial workers and engineers.

The Populist Revolt

• Several of these ideas and writings were spread through Cabinets de Lecture.

• Famine in 1846 inspired revolt• The poor man’s plight would become vital• Buchez’ L’Atlier

• Campagne des Banquets fermented revolt• Moderate liberals called for legal reformand more enfranchisement (70 banquets, 17,000 people)

Historic Paintings

Banquet at Chateau-Rouge

Drawing of Cabinet de Lecture

Works Cited• Alexander, Robert. “Re-Writing the French Revolutionary

Tradition: Liberal Opposition and the Fall of the Bourbon Monarchy.” Cambridge University Press, New York, 2003. Web. 26 Oct 2015.

• Berenson, Edward. “Populist Religion and Left-Wing Politics in France, 1830-1852.” Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1984. Web. 26 Oct 2015.

• Jones, Colin. “Paris: Biography of a City.” Penguin Group, New York. 2004. Print.

• Kroen, Sheryl. “Politics and Theater: The Crisis of Legitimacy in Restoration France, 1815-1830.” University of California Press, Los Angeles, 2000. Web. 24 Oct 2015.