Class Year
2025
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Most historians have focused on the British thinker and statesman Edmund Burke, when discussing the development of Conservatism. He is often considered the “Father of Conservatism” as his principal work Reflections on the Revolution in France inspired generations of conservative thinkers. However, another conservative thinker was writing during the same period as Burke and has been relatively lost to history. Joseph de Maistre, was developing conservative thought at the same time as Burke, but has received little to no credit for the influence he held. The aim of this paper is to show that Maistre was just as influential in the development of conservatism as Burke during the Revolutionary years in Europe. The paper will also demonstrate that Maistre was not an extremist as many historians have portrayed him to be.
Recommended Citation
DeMarco, Carl J. Jr.
(2023)
"A Historical and Philosophical Comparison: Joseph de Maistre & Edmund Burke,"
The Gettysburg Historical Journal: Vol. 22, Article 7.
Available at:
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/ghj/vol22/iss1/7