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Originally Posted by GVChamp
I'm confused on how exactly the geography is a big force for change. The distance makes the areas less intergrated into Rome and thus less vulnerable to "cultural imperialism" and less susceptible to military interventions, I assume?
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Yes. Physical distance was one of the factors that allowed Protestantism to be established in northern Europe. It is not the sole factor, not even the most important, it's a factor I thought worthy of a paper, decided to focus on, and emphasize as one of many catalysts for the secularization of Western Europe.
Prior to the Reformation, the secular and religious realms were mostly intertwined. They had begun to become unbound during the late Medieval Age and the Renaissance, and the Protestant Reformation was the force that allowed for two completely separate realms, that of the public, scientific, irreligious outer sphere, and the private, superstitious, religious inner sphere.
The states that were able to fight off Catholic countermeasures are those that were best geographically shielded... England defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, the Dutch eventually threw out the Spaniards, and the Prussians were able to resist the Austrians and French in northern Germany. The Scandinavians didn't really have to fend off anything... Protestant northern Germany served as a buffer. As far as Switzerland is concerned, it is very mountainous, thus giving little chance for the success of offensive measures against it.
States that did not undergo the Reformation (Spain, France, the Italian states, the Austrian Empire, Ireland) underwent either actual or relative decline in the aftermath of the Reformation. The intertwined secular and religious realms, hostile to science, capitalism, etc. retarded their modernization to varying degrees. In France, the Church and its allies worked so hard to repress modernity that there was a huge backlash which nearly resulted in its destruction during the French Revolution. Even today there is strong anti-clericalism and irreligiosity in France due to these centuries of repression.
By forcing these two spheres apart, the Reformation allowed for the advent of the Modern Age.
Keep in mind, when I say secular, I don't mean an irreligious society... a society can be very religious on an individual level but very secular as a society.