Conservatism Origins
Conservatism Origins
Conservatism received its classic formulation in the works of the British statesman Edmund Burke, notably his Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), in which he rejected the principles of the French Revolution and presented a comprehensive philosophy of society and politics. Burke viewed society as an organic whole, with individuals performing various roles and functions. In this society a natural elite-by virtue of birth, wealth, and education-is supposed to provide the leadership. The community is held together by venerable customs and traditions; gradual changes can be made, but only when they have gained wide acceptance.
Burke rejected the principles of equality, popular representation, and popular sovereignty. He also rejected the universal franchise and majority rule (the notion that a numerical majority of the citizenry should be empowered to make decisions). He advocated order, balance, and cooperation in society; restraints on government; and, above all, the supremacy of law-natural, divine, and customary. Burke did allow for limited governmental controls calculated to avoid malfunctions and frictions among the various groups and to moderate economic strife and competition. He was particularly anxious to avoid wide differences-extreme wealth on the one hand and poverty on the other. See British Political and Social Thought. (1)
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