Antidisestablishmentarianism

Antidisestablishmentarianism (/ˌæntidɪsɪˌstæblɪʃmənˈtɛəriənɪzəm/ ⓘ, US also /ˌæntaɪ-/ ⓘ) is a position that advocates that a state church (the "established church") should continue to receive government patronage, rather than be disestablished (i.e., be separated from the state).

This article is about the political movement. For the word itself, see Antidisestablishmentarianism (word).

In 19th century Britain, it developed as a political movement in opposition to disestablishmentarianism, the Liberal Party's efforts to disestablish or remove the Church of England as the official state church of England, Ireland, and Wales. The Church's status has been maintained in England, but in Ireland, the Anglican Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871. In Wales, four Church of England dioceses were disestablished in 1920 and became the Church in Wales. In colonial America, the Church of England was disestablished in six colonies despite its mild popularity in the 1780s; many Anglicans in America began to refer to themselves Episcopalians.

Antidisestablishmentarianism is also frequently noted as one of the longest non-scientific words in the English language.

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