Reflections on the Revolution in France

Regarded as a founder of modern conservatism, Edmund Burke (1729-97) proved an influential yet controversial writer and politician. Although sympathetic towards American colonists in their grievances against British rule, he was later appalled as the French Revolution unfolded. Published in 1790, when the Revolution was still young, this is Burke's most well-known work and remains a classic of Western political thought and rhetoric. He predicts the excesses that will follow the destruction of the institutions of civil society, and the inevitable rise of a corrupt and violent government rather than a protector of citizens. When she read the famous passage describing her flight from Versailles, Marie Antoinette was apparently moved to tears. Sparking a flurry of responses in defence of the Revolution and its ideals, including Thomas Paine's Rights of Man (also reissued in this series), Burke's polemic remains a crucial text in the history of modern political philosophy.