During this century alone, the witch-hunt has been attributed, in whole
or in large part, to the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, the Inquisition,
the use of judicial torture, the wars of religion, the religious zeal of the
clergy, the rise of the modern state, the development of capitalism, the
widespread use of narcotics, changes in medical thought, social and cultural
conflict, an attempt to wipe out pagansim, the need of the ruling class to
distract the masses, opposition to birth control, the spread of syphilis,
and the hatred of women.
- Brian P. Lavack, in "The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe", (Longman, 1995)