The Jesuit Myth: Conspiracy Theory And Politics In Nineteenth Century France

Belief in the Jesuit Conspiracy is one of the most important and enduring conspiracy theories in modern European history, and France was one of its major focuses. In this scholarly and detailed survey, Geoffrey Cubitt examines the range of polemical literature through which the prevalent conviction of Jesuitical plots was expressed, and explores political attitudes both within and outside the Catholic church. Cubitt uses the available evidence to contrast perceptions and reality, and to trace the development of a widespread and powerful myth. The Jesuit Myth offers valuable insights into the political and religious climate of nineteenth-century France. This book examines one of the most remarkable political myths of the modern era. The image of a Jesuit conspiracy against state, society, and modern civilization haunted the imaginations of European liberals for most of the nineteenth century. This book examines the operations and structures of this conspiracy theory in one of its main centres of influence: France. It examines the functions which the Jesuit myth performed in nineteenth-century French politics, and provides a detailed analysis of its thematic development, rhetorical strategies, and internal tensions. The book relates the influence of anti-Jesuit beliefs to the Jesuits' own position in nineteenth-century society and religious and political life; but its major contribution is to show how the myth expressed the deeper anxieties and served the broader mental needs of French liberals and republicans in an age of political instability. At the cost of encouraging mistrust and intransigence in French politics, the Jesuit myth played an important part in forging the political identity of the moderate French Left. In an innovative Conclusion, the author also places the Jesuit myth in the large context of long-term evolutions in the character and significance of conspiracy theories as an ingredient in modern political mentalities This is the first full study of the widespread and persistent belief in the existence of a Jesuit conspiracy in nineteenth-century France. Geoffrey Cubitt contrasts perception and reality, and traces the development of a pervasive and powerful myth. His book offers many valuable insights into the political and religious climate of France in the nineteenth century. A Study Of The Widespread Belief In The Existence Of A Jesuit Conspiracy In 19th-century France. The Book Examines The Range Of Polemical Literature Through Which The Conviction Of Jesuitical Plots Was Expressed, And Explores Political Attitudes Within And Outside The Catholic Church. Geoffrey Cubitt. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations Introduction 1 Anti-Jesuitism and the Jesuits 2 The Restoration 3 The July Monarchy 4 The Road to Article 7 5 Structures, Imagery, and Argument 6 Murder, Money, and Spies 7 Jesuits in Plain Clothes 8 The Confessor and the School 9 History and Morality 10 Jesuits and Jesuitism Conclusion Bibliography Index