The Differences Between Thomas Paine And Edmund Burke And The French Revolution

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The differences between Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke’s assertions on politics revolve around the two men’s views on the necessity of the French Revolution. Apparently, the social and political upheaval that shook France in the ten years questioned the absolute monarchial rule of the French, and in turn, sought to destroy the social hierarchies defined by the aristocrats. In other words, power was subject to the lineage in which an individual is born and for that reason, social infrastructures remained rigid with little to no mobility for the lower-class citizens. In answer to the changes sought out by the rebelling French communities, Edmund Burke’s release of the “Reflections on the Revolution in France” in 1790 depicted the man’s careful …show more content…

Burke’s views reveal his affinity for caution in all matters concerning the politics of the country and as a result, the man depicts a conservative nature that not only repelled change but also refuted anything that lacked concrete plans. For instance, as Burke discusses in his text, the peoples’ decision to neglect the benefits of “provisions, preparations, and precaution” in their plans made the revolution indistinguishable between “benevolence and imbecility” (par.51). Apparently, while France was eager for the change promised by removing the Crown from power, Burke did not trust the radical nature of the same and did not hesitate to share his fears with his …show more content…

In the man’s words, just as “those who lived a hundred or a thousand years ago” were modern at their time, the situation was no different in the eighteenth century (Paine, par.82). For that reason, it was absurd to expect the ancient rules to govern contemporary times because the desires and the reasoning of the societies continue to evolve over the years. Nonetheless, the two men coincided in their understanding of the role history plays in the contemporary societies of the eighteenth century France. In other words, at one point, both Burke and Paine recognized the fact that whatever was happening in France was because of the peoples’ past and their reactions to the

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