Reflections on the Revolution in France

Written in 1790 during the early stages of the French Revolution, Reflections on the Revolution in France is regarded as one of the foundational texts of conservative political theory. In it, the British philosopher and statesman Edmund Burke critiques the political program of the French Revolution, dismissing it as a political order founded on abstract principles. Instead, Burke advocates for constitutional rule based on received institutions, incremental reform, and sensitivity to the vagaries of human nature. Some of Burke’s predictions, such as the revolutionary government becoming a “mischievous and ignoble oligarchy” and the politicization of the military bringing about a “military republic,” proved to be prescient in the face of the Reign of Terror and Napoleon’s coup of 18 Brumaire.