

France was also experiencing food shortages and a nationwide economic depression. He was in debt and was taxing the poor to raise money. GradeSaver, 10 January 2020 Web.Zachary Davis: In France in 1789, many Parisians were fed up with their king, Louis XVI. "Reflections On the Revolution In France Summary". Next Section Character List Previous Section About Reflections On the Revolution In France How To Cite in MLA Format Shaw, Elizabeth. Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. He instead applauds the British government for implementing reform successfully. He sees the Revolution as being based upon ideological and theoretical thought, with no practical experience of how to implement these ideas.īurke also criticizes the French government, saying that the new legislators of the National Assembly are not skilled enough to create successful reform. However, the Revolution leaders do not have any experience of governance. Burke argues that a country must be governed based on wisdom and knowledge that have been accumulated through experience. He sees that idea of a full revolution and upheaval as being incredibly impractical. Burke again suggests a more conservative view, that governance develops over time. As such, he is against the idea that liberty can arise from a short-term upheaval of society, as supporters of the Revolution posit.įollowing this, Burke argues that although leaders of the Revolution make appealing promises, they have no experience of how to govern a country. Burke is an advocate of conservatism, meaning he believes changes ought to be gradual, over long periods of time. Burke takes issues with the concept of "liberty" as it is understood by supporters of the French Revolution. He believed that the unorganized nature of this Revolution, based on a vague concept of liberty, would lead to disagreement and chaos. However, Burke perceptively predicts that it would head in a violent direction. His pamphlet is a response to those who agreed with the revolution and saw it as representing a new era of liberty and equality.īurke wrote this text in the early stages of the Revolution, before it had descended into violence. It was written by Edmund Burke, who offers a strong criticism of the French Revolution.

Reflections on the Revolution in France is a political pamphlet, published in 1790. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
