ABSTRACT
Edmund Burke's rise to social prominence and political power was very unusual. He was an Irishman of relatively humble origins, but after joining the Whigs he moved in the same circles as landed aristocracy, the social class that owns land and property that generates income for the owner without the owner doing the work. Written in 1790, Reflections on the Revolution in France is Burke's response to the French Revolution of 1789. He outlines the danger of radicalism, arguing that tradition is valuable and political change should be both gradual and carefully handled. Reflections is one of the founding works of modern conservative thought. In Reflections Burke speaks out against the idea of a perfect state, or utopia. Reflections helps to build a framework that can be used to evaluate political reform projects. Burke's views are valued by modern conservatives in the United States.
