EDMUND BURKE

Question 1

What party did Burke represent in Parliament?

Answer 1

Whig

Question 2

What revolution was Burke a firm supporter of?

Answer 2

American Revolution

Question 3

Who and why did Burke demand the impeachment for?

Answer 3

Governor General Of Bengal for alleged cruelty towards Hindustani’s

Question 4

What Idea from Adam Smith did Burke advocate for?

Answer 4

Free trade

Question 5

What is Burke’s role in the development of conservatism?

Answer 5

The father of conservatism

Question 6

What is Burke’s key work?

Answer 6

‘Reflections On The Revolution In France’ (1790)

Question 7

In his most famous work what tenets did Burke define?

Answer 7

Human imperfection, empiricism, organicism, tradition, aristocracy and localism

Question 8

What was Burke’s view on human imperfection?

Answer 8

Mankind’s fallibility and its tendency to fail more than succeed

Question 9

Why did Burke denounce the French Revolution

Answer 9

Because of the idealistic society the French Revolution represented, claiming it was based on a utopia and an unrealistic of human nature

Question 10

What did Burke want change to be based on?

Answer 10

Empiricism and tradition

Question 11

What did Burke call what the French Revolution was basing its idea of its new society on?

Answer 11

‘philosophical abstractions’

Question 12

What was Burke and other contemporary conservatives main criticism of the French Revolution?

Answer 12

It was disregarding what was know for something unknown with no experience

Question 13

What did Burke compare society and government?

Answer 13

A plant and said its not a machine

Question 14

Why was Burke fearful of change?

Answer 14

Because it has to be cautious and organic because of the mysterious dynamism of society and government that Burke said count be controlled and would grow mysteriously like a plant

Question 15

What did Burke not like about the French Revolutions take on equality?

Answer 15

Burke asserted in his work, that a ruling class was inevitable and desirable

Question 16

What was Burke view on the role of the ruling class?

Answer 16

This class had a clear obligation to govern in the interest of all, for Burke it was the French aristocracy’s failure to do this that led to the revolution

Question 17

Why did Burke not like the French Revolutions highly centralised structure?

Answer 17

That a society in Burkes view should have ‘little platoons

Question 18

Burke’s view of human nature

Answer 18

Sceptical: the “crooked timber of humanity” is marked with a gap between aspiration and achievement

We may conceive of perfection but we are unable to achieve it

Question 19

Burke’s view of the state

Answer 19

State arises organically and should be aristocratic, driven by an elite reared to rule in the interests of all

Question 20

burke’s view of society

Answer 20

Society is organic and multi-faced comprising of a host of “little platoons”

Question 21

Burke’s view of the economy

Answer 21

Trade should include “organic” free markets and laissez-faire capitalism