Origins of conservatism Flashcards
Enlightenment…
At the heart of the Enlightenment was a belief in reason and remorseless progress; the notion that there was an ‘ideal’ society towards which politicians should strive, underpinned by tolerance, equality, and individual rights.
By the second half of the 18th century, and after the American Revolution, it became difficult for politicians and philosophers to argue against the principles of the Enlightenment without appearing regressive and intolerant.
‘Whig supremacy’…
In England, early liberal politicians, such as those found in the Whig Party, were confident that the progressive principles embodied by England’s Glorious Revolution (1689) and America’s Declaration of Independence (1776) were intellectually unquestionable and politically irresistible.
By contrast, any critique of the Enlightenment seemed rooted in outdated, theocratic thinking - associated, for example, with a defence of monarchical absolutism and the ‘divine right’ of kings.
Enlightenment ideals having shocking consequences…
By 1792, however, it was clear that revolutionary change, and the ruthless imposition of ‘reason’ and other Enlightenment ideals, could have shocking and horrific consequences. The public beheading of King Louis XVI was accompanied by what became known as ‘the Terror’ - a period when thousands of ‘citizens’ were persecuted and executed in the name of progress, and when genocidal violence became the means of securing an ‘enlightened’ revolutionary regime.
Watershed in political theory…
The course of the French Revolution, and the threat posed to peace across Europe by the new French regime, proved a watershed political theory.
Events in France now made it possible to assail liberal-Enlightenment principles without seeming reactionary, to criticise ‘progress’ without denying the spirit of the Enlightenment, and to accept reform while rejecting revolution. In this way, the savagery of the French Revolution paved the way for a new sort of political ideology, one that would respect the case for change while warning of its dangers.
