Edmund Burke, Benign Conservative

(1729-1797)

Edmund Burke, although a conservative (I consider myself off the spectrum in the other direction in an alternate dimension) is probably my favorite author - he is so piercingly clear in his vision and predictions about our world. Many of the dynamics we've witnessed and experienced in the past two centuries were outlined by this great man. He is quite insightful in his treatment of France in his classic and most influential work, "Reflections on the Revolution in France." Mr. Burke correctly, identifies France as the "birthplace" (or at least the locale of their maturation) of the bankers, insurance moguls and other such capitalists, who made their money through the slave trade and its ancillary industries, which enabled this new buoyant class to usurp the aristocracy and the clergy, enslave the former serfs in new economic relations and assume the throne of world leadership. Mr. Burke opines that this new sector bought and will continue to buy supremacy - that nothing is impossible. Although, I do not agree with many of Edmund Burke's motivations for his thesis nevertheless, I recognize the astonishing astuteness of his observations.

I highly, recommend this treatise.

Moreover, there is so much to say about France; for example the country has experienced every form of "ism" known to man. It is as if the nation serves as some sort of laboratory. For all it's worth France was the one place that at least for a few moments saw the people become sovereign - They quickly abolished slavery many decades before anyone else ever thought about it - i.e., before the commercial conditions demanded an end to slavery in its starkest and crudest formulation - as you probably guessed, reactionary forces, this same moneyed class well disguised, quickly overturned their gains and sent them back to the sweat shops.