Ambiguities of Political Conservatism between 1789 and 1830

This article explores the ambiguities of political conservatism in France between 1789 and 1830. The term “conservative” encompasses different and contradictory realities, such as the defense of fundamental natural principles of society, on the one hand, and the desire to maintain the established order, even if it means embracing previously subversive changes, on the other hand. The French Revolution triggered a conservative reaction from both political and intellectual spheres. Counter-revolutionary sentiments were present at all levels of the social hierarchy and encompassed a broad political spectrum, ranging from monarchists to liberals. Edmund Burke’s work influenced French monarchist philosophers, Joseph de Maistre and Louis de Bonald, who aimed to restore the naturally instituted hierarchy, emphasizing the concept of the sovereignty of God and the authority of natural law. The post-Thermidor government focused on “conservation” of the interests of the owners of national property gained during the Revolution, rather than on the concepts of freedom, equality, and fraternity. The Restoration of the legitimate monarchy in 1814 aimed to reconcile the two opposing sides that had emerged in France after the Revolution. Thus, the Doctrinaires, a group of moderate Royalists including Guizot and Royer-Collard, aimed to overcome the opposition between popular sovereignty and divine right by asserting the sovereignty of reason and justice. Meanwhile, the figures associated with the journal Le Conservateur, including Chateaubriand, Kergorlay, Bonald, and others, emphasized the importance of duties derived from a divine natural order and criticized legal positivism. They were committed both to preserving the “sound doctrines” of legitimacy and the protection of social rights and public peace. The article concludes by discussing the reasons for the failure of reconciliation in French society after the Revolution and Restoration.

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