ABSTRACT
Durkheim was twelve years old when war broke out between France and Prussia, in the course of which France not only suffered a military defeat but a socio-psychological one as well. Her leaders began to re-examine the whole idea of the French Revolution, the Revolution of 1848, and the failure of the Second Republic. At this time, Durkheim developed an appreciation for the feelings of anomie resulting from a war-torn France. Agnosticism was growing within the country, and the absence of religious restraints, especially among peasants in the interior, who were neglected by the French middle and upper classes, was a cause for concern.
