Iran since the overthrow of the Shah could be an example, andTaliban
Afghanistan another. Sometimes the term is used extravagantly to indicate a
state where religious ideas, or religious institutions, have what is seen as an
undue influence. Thus a political system such as modern Italy, whereRoman
Catholicismcarries considerable political influence, having a privileged
position in the constitution, and with the dominant political party being
church-oriented and led, could be seen by some as verging on theocracy.
Theocratic values were in the past more important, and more common,
than in the present world. Medieval political society, for example, was suffused
by political doctrines supporting the rule of established religious order, because
the political authorities relied onChristianityas a justifyingideology. Even
earlier societies, classical Athens for example, could have made little sense of
theocracy because it assumes a distinction between political and religious rule
and obligation. Yet these societies were so structured that the functions of the
priesthood were connected to those of political leadership. In much later
primitive societies this pattern can still be seen. In European terms it was the
Reformation which forced a division between politics and religion by estab-
lishing the principle of religious toleration. Thus the constitution of the USA
actually carries a prohibition on the ‘establishment’ of any religion as a guard
against any theocratic tendencies (seesecular state). There are still countries
in the developed world, including the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian
countries, where anestablished churchexists.
Third Republic
The French Third Republic lasted from its creation in 1870, after the defeat of
the Second Empire during the Franco–Prussian War, until France’s defeat by
Germany in 1940. Although it was permanently troubled by political unrest
and apparent instability, its 70-year rule is in fact the longest of any French
regime since the 1789 Revolution, and the Republic’s ability to withstand the
shock of the First World War testifies to its strength. It was very much a
parliamentary regime, with a president who never dared use even what few
powers he constitutionally had. Originally intended only as a provisional
government, a majority of the deputies in the first elected assembly were
actually monarchists, the deep divisions in French society, exacerbated by a
fragmented and irresponsible party system, prevented it from ever developing
powerful political institutions. From the start a vital sector of the traditional
French ruling class, the Catholic and aristocratic right wing, was excluded
from real participation, partly because they still could not easily accept the
original republican notions of the French Revolution. At the same time the
parties of the centre, who formed most of the coalitions, were almost as hostile
to the emerging working-class organizations. As a result the republic was very
Third Republic