An Analysis of Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France
An Analysis of Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France

Author: Riley Quinn

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13: 1351351001

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Edmund Burke’s 1791 Reflections on the Revolution in France is a strong example of how the thinking skills of analysis and reasoning can support even the most rhetorical of arguments. Often cited as the foundational work of modern conservative political thought, Burke’s Reflections is a sustained argument against the French Revolution. Though Burke is in many ways not interested in rational close analysis of the arguments in favour of the revolution, he points out a crucial flaw in revolutionary thought, upon which he builds his argument. For Burke, that flaw was the sheer threat that revolution poses to life, property and society. Sceptical about the utopian urge to utterly reconstruct society in line with rational principles, Burke argued strongly for conservative progress: a continual slow refinement of government and political theory, which could move forward without completely overturning the old structures of state and society. Old state institutions, he reasoned, might not be perfect, but they work well enough to keep things ticking along. Any change made to improve them, therefore, should be slow, not revolutionary. While `Burke’s arguments are deliberately not reasoned in the ‘rational’ style of those who supported the revolution, they show persuasive reasoning at its very best.

The Cambridge Companion to Edmund Burke
The Cambridge Companion to Edmund Burke

Author: David Dwan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-10-22

Total Pages: 465

ISBN-13: 1107495652

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Edmund Burke prided himself on being a practical statesman, not an armchair philosopher. Yet his responses to specific problems - rebellion in America, the abuse of power in India and Ireland, or revolution in France - incorporated theoretical debates within jurisprudence, economics, religion, moral philosophy and political science. Moreover, the extraordinary rhetorical force of Burke's speeches and writings quickly secured his reputation as a gifted orator and literary stylist. This Companion provides a comprehensive assessment of Burke's thought, exploring all his major writings from his early treatise on aesthetics to his famous polemic, Reflections on the Revolution in France. It also examines the vexed question of Burke's Irishness and seeks to determine how his cultural origins may have influenced his political views. Finally, it aims both to explain and to challenge interpretations of Burke as a romantic, a utilitarian, a natural law thinker and founding father of modern conservatism.

Reflections on the Revolution in France
Reflections on the Revolution in France

Author: Edmund Burke

Publisher: Good Press

Published: 2021-04-11

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13:

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Reflections on the Revolution in France by the Irish statesman Edmund Burke is a political pamphlet written and published in November 1790. It was one of the first and best-known intellectual attacks against the French Revolution. It is also a defining tract of modern conservatism as well as an important contribution to international theory.

Reflections on the Revolution in France
Reflections on the Revolution in France

Author: Riley Quinn

Publisher: Macat Library

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781912127931

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First published in 1790, Burke's Reflections rejects the ideas that had inspired radical political change in France and were beginning to take root in England. In an extended "letter to a friend," Burke uses a fiery rhetorical style to discredit what he saw as dangerous ideological developments before they sparked a revolution in his own country.

The Great Debate
The Great Debate

Author: Yuval Levin

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2013-12-03

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 0465040942

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An acclaimed portrait of Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the origins of modern conservatism and liberalism In The Great Debate, Yuval Levin explores the roots of the left/right political divide in America by examining the views of the men who best represented each side at its origin: Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine. Striving to forge a new political path in the tumultuous age of the American and French revolutions, these two ideological titans sparred over moral and philosophical questions about the nature of political life and the best approach to social change: radical and swift, or gradual and incremental. The division they articulated continues to shape our political life today. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the basis of our political order and Washington's acrimonious rifts today, The Great Debate offers a profound examination of what conservatism, progressivism, and the debate between them truly amount to.

Reflections on the Revolution in France
Reflections on the Revolution in France

Author: Edmund Burke

Publisher:

Published: 2018-10-14

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 9781727865240

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Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France" is considered by many to be a masterpiece of political analysis and a compelling rationale against the French Revolution. Originally written as a letter in response to a young Parisian and later expanded upon and published in book format in January 1790, the work has greatly influenced conservative and classic liberal intellectuals and stands as a powerful argument against violent revolutions, lawlessness, and unrest. Prior to 1790, Burke was a well-known member of the British House of Commons and a vocal supporter of the American Revolution. His condemnation of the French Revolution shocked many of his peers and supporters. Burke viewed the French Revolution as a violent and chaotic war without any guiding ideology or respect for the rule of law and feared it would lead to a situation that was both dangerous and corrupt. Many of Burke's predictions came true as the Revolution devolved into bloodshed and anarchy with the Reign of Terror beginning in 1793 and then leading to the eventual military dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte. Burke's work stands as an enduring statement in support of tradition, hereditary power, property rights, duty, and the monarchy.