Edmund Burke French Revolution Summary

Written in England in 1790 by Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France presents the idea that gradual reform is much more beneficial than a revolution. Burke wrote this work with the intention of warning the people of England to not engage in the same destructive behavior that the French did, eventually resulting in their revolution that brought tremendous turmoil. I believe he published his writing specifically for the common people of England, rather than those classified as nobility or members of the clergy. The revolution broke out after the third estate of France (the common people) constructed the National Assembly once the estate general reached an impasse on the issue of voting inequality. Burke likely targeted the English

He states, “It would require a long discourse to point out to you the many fallacies that lurk in the generality and equivocal nature of the terms ‘inadequate representation’.” With this term, I believe he is referring to the inequality of voting within the estate general. If they voted in order, the nobility and clergy would have the advantage, but if they voted individually, the third estate would have the advantage. I believe this term was important to him because he likely felt that a change needed to occur but not an immediate one that could produce devastating results. The issue of inadequate representation and the consequences that followed it help him emphasize that what was happening within the French government was a problem, but that the way the French handled it only made things worse, allowing him to argue that gradual reformation would have been a better option. He also uses the term illegitimate in his work when referring to the government of France after the revolution. He explains, “Another revolution, to get rid of this illegitimate and usurped government, would of course be perfectly justifiable.” Burke employs this term in order to illustrate that France’s new government is not pure due to the means by which it was achieved. With his reasoning, gradual reform would have been the legitimate way to reshape France’s government, and although

Nothing related to economics had much of an impact on his decision to write his reflection. From a cultural and social standpoint for example, Burke was alive when the Enlightenment reached its peak in about 1750. The ideas of the Enlightenment focused on the courage to speak up about what may be controversial matters that an individual believed in, which often lead to actions taken to promote change. The ideology of the Enlightenment undoubtedly contributed to the French Revolution, for many of its thinkers believed that if a government failed its people, the people had a right to overthrow it. This idea completely contradicts Burke’s idea of gradual reform, for the overthrowing of a government is most certainly a revolutionary act; therefore, the Enlightenment and its ideals played a role in Burke’s desire to write his reflection, as he felt he needed to condemn such ideas in order to prove to his people that they would not lead to what was most beneficial for the country. Regarding political influences in writing his work, Burke was a member of English Parliament after the Glorious Revolution, meaning he shared power with the monarchy, and therefore, did not wish to see it overthrown. After seeing this happen in France, he likely feared the same would occur in his own country, as the Glorious Revolution only solved England’s political crisis at that specific time