Write 6 pages with APA style on Political Philosophy in Europe. The world was changing in the eighteenth century. Revolutions were taking place in France and America. It seemed like the whole order was being reshaped. While people took to the streets in Philadelphia and Paris to overthrow the monarchies of the day, a number of philosophers were arguing against impulsive revolution. They were pointing to the institutions that had been built up over time and suggesting that people should not be so quick to turn their backs on them.

Among these philosophers were four great men: Joseph De Maistre (1754-1821), B. De Bold (1753-1840), Metternich (1773-1854), and Edmund Burke (1729-1797). De Maistre was a philosopher who argued in favor of the French monarchy. He felt this was the most stable form of government. With a stable political order, the economy could flourish. He opposed the Enlightenment with its concept of radical freedom and felt that the Catholic church was an instrument for good. De Bold held a similar view. He felt that religion was the key to political stability and the monarchy as a divinely inspired institution should have the power due to it. He too opposed the Enlightenment which he thought was a dangerous force. Metternich was an Austrian leader and diplomat opposed to democratic rule. He felt that the passions of the people could be dangerous and did his best to oppose them. A ruling class was best to control the politics of any country.

Of all of these men, Edmund Burke was the most influential and the most nuanced. He opposed the French Revolution because its outcome was uncertain and its violence grotesque. He felt that order and dignity were important political qualities. As the world began to expand in knowledge and connections, economics began to combine with political philosophy. The discipline began to expand to include such things as demographics and trade links, ideas that once were separate and unconnected. The pool of human knowledge was increasing and a number of theorists began to make connections that we still observe today.