Louis-Philippe d'Orléans (1773-1850) was in many ways a prototype of contemporary neocons, in that he tried to merge the progressive ideals of the revolution with conservative values. Conservatism in the France of his day meant traditional monarchy; Louis-Philippe styled himself the "Citizen-King" and his "coronation" was a civil ceremony in the National Assembly, bereft of pomp, ritual and the blessing of the Church. This was to demonstrate his belief in the separation of Church and State, the opposite of Charles X's attempts to defend the Church from sacrilege. Charles bungled in his methods; he was not politically savvy and too much of a gambler. In the end, however, Louis-Philippe bungled, too, for he favored the wealthy industrialists over the needs and freedoms of the common people. And he had not begun his "reign" very auspiciously. Like many modern regimes, his assumption of the executive office was ratified by violence alone. The 1848 Revolution was even more bloody and violent than that of 1830, which had brought Louis-Philippe to power. Share
2 comments:
One had to be extremely politically astute in order to balance all the aspects of the situation in France at the time. Bottom line is....there were forces more powerful at work, and whether it was a case of bungling or not, it was not meant to be. Since that time France became the hot bed where radical ideas fomented.....Marx, Lenin, etc., need we say more?
Very good point!
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