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1 THE DEMIS E O F TH E CONFESSIONAL STAT E AND THE RISE OF THE IDE A OF A LEGITIMATE MINORIT Y JOSEPH CHARLES HEIM The issu e of majorities an d minoritie s within a common politica l community i s a recen t topi c i n Wester n politica l thought . In deed , prio r t o th e earl y nineteent h century , thi s issu e scarcel y existed; i t foun d n o resonanc e i n th e publi c an d educate d dis course befor e tha t day . I n th e advance d Wester n states , an y examination o f majority-minorit y problem s i s premised o n th e idea o f a neutra l state , empowere d t o ac t b y th e result s o f universal franchise , respondin g t o th e concern s o f al l member s of societ y withi n it s borders . N o ide a coul d hav e bee n furthe r The autho r wishe s t o than k Dr . Joh n Chapman ; Mr . Richar d Langhorne , Fellow o f Sain t John s College , Cambridge ; Mr . J . F . Burnet , Fello w o f th e author's ow n Magdelen e College , Cambridge , a s well a s devoted servan t o f th e Church o f England' s Dioces e o f Ely ; Reveren d Joh n Berr y o f Fishe r House , Cambridge; Brothe r James Branson , O.P. , and Reveren d Kenele m Foster , O.P. , of Blackfriars , Cambridge ; Suzann e Heim , Tob y Orford , Geoffre y Nuttall , Paula Nuttall , Davi d Smith , Mar k Clarke , an d Richar d Cottam , Rober t Hickey , and Andre w Blana r o f th e Universit y o f Pittsburg h fo r thei r helpfu l comment s and suggestions . 12 JOSEPH CHARLE S HEI M removed fro m th e me n wh o exercise d th e responsibilit y an d care of government i n the eighteenth an d earl y nineteent h cen turies . For thes e men , th e Loui s XIVs an d th e Frederic k th e Greats , the Edmun d Burke s an d th e youn g Willia m Gladstones , th e state was by its very nature confessional , tha t is , it was restricte d and dedicate d t o preserving the position o f the adherents o f th e dominant religiou s creed . Politica l libertie s wer e th e exclusiv e prerogative o f th e member s o f th e establishe d church . Angli cans i n England , Lutheran s i n Prussia , Catholic s i n France , Spain, and Austria , and Orthodo x Christian s in Russia were th e only member s o f th e politica l community . Th e criterio n o f loy alty , th e preconditio n fo r th e exercis e o f rights , wa s narrowl y circumscribed. Therefore , refusa l o f submission o r subscriptio n to the prevailin g articles of faith wa s seen as an ac t of disloyalty , or, a t best, evidence o f loyalties elsewhere. As long as the term s of allegianc e wer e s o conceived, an y ide a o f a legitimate minor ity sharing equal political rights remained impossible . The ques tion of majority-minority relations , a central concern o f politica l and lega l philosoph y i n an increasingl y democrati c age , did no t arise until th e passin g of the confessional state . The essentia l featur e o f th e confessiona l stat e wa s religiou s uniformity, whic h al l o f th e majo r Europea n state s sough t t o attain throughou t th e seventeent h an d eighteent h centuries . A t the Treat y o f Westphali a th e Germa n state s solve d thei r prob lems by agreeing t o put Catholic s and Protestant s int o differen t states, whil e Loui s XI V revoke d th e Edic t o f Nante s an d ex pelled th e Hugenot s fro m France. 1 Thi s desir e fo r uniformit y was no t...

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