Curses versus Blows: Tactics in Church-State Conflict

Parameters for the analysis of church-state conflict are set forth and illustrated by a case-study of relations between the Catholic Church and the Stroessner government in Paraguay since the late 1960s. Four models by which to study this phenomenon are described: factional, institutional, and inter-organizational conflict models, as well as an open-systems model. The last is suggested as the most adequate. The conflict in Paraguay is shown to have erupted with the breakdown of common referees between the two parties. Analysis of the dynamics of the conflict reveals incongruity between the tactics used by the church and those used by the government. Some effects of such incongruity are reviewed, and alternative outcomes of church-state conflict are suggested.