Book excerpt: Changes in individual belief and practice are also examined: during this period, European societies were religiously polarised, with some regions (such as Brittany) remaining bastions of traditional religion, while others (such as the Limousin) became strongholds of secularism. The author also considers questions of identity, how far older religious identities were replaced by nationalist or socialist identities, and looks at the impact of industrialisation, urbanisation and compulsory education on religious beliefs and practices once deeply rooted in western European popular cultures. Finally, the varying response to the outbreak of war in 1914 offers a test of the extent - and the limits - of secularisation in these three countries."--BOOK JACKET.