Introduction
At the height of the French revolution, there still stood some characters that dared to stand out and speak for the rights of the people. Despite the machinery at play, the idealism and freedom at stake, there was a crop of leaders who had natured a people-centered leadership within themselves. They shared and highlighted to the people what was at stake. For this they have crowned heroes in their capacities, as a result of this their views on national matters were highly rated.
Edmund Burke, born in 1729 in Dublin, was one such leader. He did not show open criticism to the French revolution at the initial stages, but with time as the effects of the revolution on the local culture and belief systems came to play, he was categorical in stating his opposition.
The rote in leadership was questioned in the policies that the French were imposing on their subjects. These policies include the civil legal code, removing the guilds creating a free labor market, and what was left of feudalism, the introduction of the policy that everybody is equal before the law irrespective of their affiliations. Privileges conferred to others as a result of the aristocracy were also done away with.
Civilization
Burke, a great political writer cum politician had his mindset twisted in the course of the revolution. This came about when he witnessed the political, moral, and cultural decadence in the west. Burke set out to explore the state of things like they were then, to change this for the good of society. When he left trinity, his mindset was inclined towards religion, general improvement, and venturing into politics.
Religion and Christianity for that matter, whose leaders happen to be among members of the national assembly are threatened. The leaders of these churches happened to hide under the umbrella of salvation, yet they are corrupt and rarely heed the doctrine. An example is Doctor Richard’s price, while preaching at the house of the old jewelry, had an extraordinary sermon in which he fused religious and political opinions.
This erodes the virtues within which this institution was founded and operates on, altering religious idealism (Burke, 1790). The other aspect is liberty. Freedom to do anything without being subjected to public scrutiny and open judgment by the people. He compares this to ten years ago when the institution was governed by upright individuals, unlike today where judgment is rendered by ‘madmen’.
The other institution is the proposal of the bill of rights that hands to the people the mandate to ‘choose their governors, to cashier their leaders for misconduct and to frame a government to themselves’.
He argues that the people do not want that system of governance, asserting that the people will fight even to the death to oppose that system of leadership (Burke, 1790). He also urges that succession politics and hereditary leadership do not always provide for the best chance for quality and sound leadership. This is because the constitution bounds them to power and therefore hardly allows for a change in case of reckless leadership. He asserts further that the people shall not copy ideals and systems they have never tried; neither shall they try out the systems that looked suspicious upon earlier trials.
Conclusion
All in all, Burke was conservative about their methods of governance. He found fault in almost every aspect of the foreign ideas therefore was selective in the change that was happening around him (Burke, 1790).
Works cited
Burke, Edmund. “Reflections on the Revolution in France”. constitution.org. Constitution society. 2004. Web.