Edmund Burke’s essay The Reflections on the Revolution in France is a world-known essay about Burke’s opinions and beliefs about the French Revolution. Burke believed that there were very many imperfections surrounding the revolution itself. This was a bad way to resolve France’s political problems. There are three key concepts in his writing that stand out, emphasizing his opinion towards the actions taken by the French. The concepts of liberty, private property, and tradition are the concepts that make such a difference in the way people view the French Revolution.
Burke viewed all the fighting happening throughout the revolution as a fight going on between people for higher power instead of a fight for liberty. He saw how French leaders acted as if they cared more about the power that they could win through the revolution instead of caring and looking out for the safety and well-being of their citizens. Although Burke wrote about not fighting for liberty, he did not believe in people having the right to choose their governments. Unlike Locke, Burke strongly believed in the Church and the State staying as one. He criticized the lack of fight toward liberty, as he wrote about how there should not be a lot of individualism. The revolution itself, in the eyes of Edmund Burke, seemed faulty, due to being built on an ideal of individualism. Burke in his writing expresses anti-radicalism thoughts, how if the state and the church dismantle and create an entirely new government there will be unrest due to the actions of radical thinkers.
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Private property and tradition were very big in Burke’s point of view. He believed that a man should not have his property taken away to later be distributed unfairly. A man’s private property, where his family belongs, is the biggest foundation of any life. Burke does mention how laws could be made towards the unequal amount of money a man can have compared to others, but the property is his and shall not be taken away. Burke speaks a lot about tradition and how it is a good thing in society. Tradition and his argument against the right of individuals to vote for their government come hand in hand. Believing that tradition is glorious and should be kept untouched also ties hand in hand with his belief that the state and the church do not need to be separated to make a stable society. The church and the state had been known to work together traditionally, whatever went through the state went through the church as well, and vice versa. He also believed that there was a natural way in which men should behave and cooperate in society, passed on through ancestry. Throughout his writing, a very conservative political point of view is made. The state itself should not have to change drastically to make drastic changes. Burke compared the revolution to how Britain handled their political strain; changing the person who ruled, not starting all over again.
In the Reflections on the Revolution in France, an essay written by Edmund Burke, a conservative point of view on political problems is welcomed and understood. The concepts of liberty, private property, and tradition are highly argued throughout his writing expressing his feelings towards the French Revolution. In the eyes of Edmund Burke, his ideas, and the way he thinks, the French Revolution should not have happened, and Frances's political problems should not have been solved in the way in which they were.
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