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Edmund Burke and International Relations EDMUND BURKE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Edmund Burke and International Relations The Commonwealth of Europe and the Crusade against the French Revolution Jennifer M. Welsh Cadieux Fellow, Policy Planning Staff Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canada M in association with St. Martin's Press ST ANTONY'S COLLEGE, OXFORD © Jennifer M. Welsh 1995 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published in Great Britain 1995 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world This book is published in the St Antony'slMacmillcm Scries General Editor: Alex Pravda A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 0-333-61214-0 10 9876 5 4321 04 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 95 Printed in Great Britain by Ipswich Book Co Ltd, Ipswich, Suffolk First published in the United States of America 1995 by Scholarly and Reference Division, ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 0-312-12202-0 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Welsh, Jennifer M. Edmund Burke and international relations / the commonwealth of Europe and the crusade against the French revolution / Jennifer M. Welsh. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-312-12202-0 1. Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797—Views on international relations. 2. Peace. 3. European cooperation. 4. France—History—Revolution. 1789-1799. I. Title. JX2223.B87W45 1995 320.5,2,092—dc20 94-7204 C1P "There is no wise man in politics, with an important decision to make, who would not do well to refresh his mind by discussion with Burke's mind." Harold Laski, Address at Trinity College, Dublin, March 1947 Contents Acknowledgements ix Sketch of Burke's Life xi Introduction 1 PART I BURKE'S THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY Introduction 23 1 Constitutionalism 25 2 Medievalism 49 3 The Commonwealth of Europe 70 PART II THE CONSERVATIVE CRUSADER Introduction 89 4 Burke's Reaction to the French Revolution 93 5 Interventionism 115 6 Holy War 141 Conclusion 167 Notes and References 181 Bibliography 233 Index 242 Vll Acknowledgements This book would not have been possible without the assistance of the Rhodes Trust and the Social Science and Humanities Research Coun­ cil of Canada. I am especially grateful to the former for giving me the generous opportunity to study at Oxford. I would also like to thank my thesis directors, Dr Sudhir Hazaree- singh and Dr Andrew Hurrell. The latter took over as my supervisor mid-way through this project, and offered insightful and considered advice throughout. I am equally indebted to Dr Paul Langford, who eased my descent into the eighteenth century, provided helpful hints on the original sources, and kindly lent me editions of Burke's Writings and Speeches. It is through his guidance that I have started to become a historian as well as a political scientist. I also express my gratitude to a number of colleagues and friends who have read parts or all of this manuscript: Manjeet Ramgotra, who led me through the Skinner debate; Richard and Marianne Hanson, who detected some of my many mistakes; David Fidler, who shares my interest in Burke and who sharpened my style and presentation; Dr Iver B. Neumann, who added a "good European" perspective to Chap­ ter 3; Dr Ngaire Woods, who provided constant encouragement and improved my powers of persuasion; and Tim Dunne, who tirelessly read through the entire manuscript and gave indispensable comments on Wight's Three Traditions. Most importantly, I thank Anne-Sophie Andre, who has been there from the very beginning with a much needed "French angle" and a shoulder to lean on. Because, as Burke would say, we "begin our affections in our fami­ lies", I must also send my heartfelt thanks to my parents, who have offered unwavering and unconditional support from afar. Finally, I dedicate this book to the late Dr John Vincent. It was his article on Burke and seminar series on Classical Theories that pro­ vided the original impetus for my project. Moreover, it was his good humour which helped to sustain my interest during those dark and dreary "middle years"of thesis preparation. Those who know his work will detect his imprint in the pages that follow. My only hope is that according to John's standards, this book at least goes "half-way to­ ward a good idea". JENNIFER M. WELSH ix Sketch of Burke's Life 1729 Born in Dublin, Ireland 1748 Received BA degree from Trinity College 1750 Began legal studies at the Middle Temple in London 1756 Abandoned legal studies and published his first work, A Vindication of Natural Society 1757 Married Jane Nugent in London Achieved fame through his first theoretical treatise, A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful 1759 Co-founded the Annual Register and began work on a larger project, the History of England (published posthumously as An Essay towards an Abridgment of the English History) Entered Politics as private secretary to William Gerald Hamilton 1760-65 Began (but did not complete) Tract on the Popery Laws in Ireland 1765 Became private secretary to the Marquess of Rockingham and was elected to Parliament in December 1770 Defended the brief Rockingham administration in his Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents 1770-75 Served as agent for the New York Assembly to the British government. 1774 Elected Member of Parliament for Bristol 1774-75 Entered the debate over British policy toward America with his Speech on American Taxation (1774) and Speech on Conciliation with America 1780 Delivered his Speech on the Economical Reform After controversy with his Bristol constituents, accepted election in the borough of Malton 1782 Joined Rockingham's second administration Initiated impeachment proceedings against the Governor General of Bengal, Warren Hastings 1790 Published his most famous work, Reflections on the Revolution in France, launching his crusade against the French Revolution xi Xll Sketch of Burke's Life 1791 Defended his crusade in An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs 1791-5 Challenged the foreign policy of the British government toward France in Thoughts on French Affairs (1791), Remarks on the Policy of the Allies (1793) and Letters on a Regicide Peace 1794 Mourned the death of his son Richard and retired from Parliament 1795-6 Continued to comment on political and economic affairs through his Thoughts and Details on Scarcity (1795) and A Letter to a Noble Lord 1797 Died at his country home in Beaconsfield Introduction WHY BURKE? The mind of Edmund Burke challenges all those who enter into the "great mine"1 of his work. His writings and speeches have had a profound and lasting legacy, resonating beyond the events and crises which characterised the late eighteenth century, and giving rise to numerous and often contending interpretations. As one scholar of Burke puts it, one "need only mention his name today to suggest an attitude, a stance, an entire world view".2 The great range and depth of Burke's thinking is matched by the vast scholarly literature which exists on various aspects of his political thought: the British Consti­ tution, the role of political parties and the nature of representation, the British Empire, and the French Revolution. In addition, we now have the benefit of a comprehensive and up-to-date biography of Burke's life, compiled by one of his greatest admirers.3 A brief glance at these secondary sources reveals that Burke has been claimed as a source of inspiration for a variety of causes and political traditions. He has been interpreted as a prophet of liberal utilitarianism, and as the father of modern conservatism; a spokes­ person for British empiricism, and an adherent of Natural Law; an apologist for British imperialism, and a crusader against the corrup­ tion of the British East India Company. Despite this plethora of opinion on Burke and his legacy, his per­ spective on international relations has yet to attract detailed exami­ nation. While some commentators have hinted at the importance of Burke's attitude toward international politics,4 none have systemati­ cally attempted to provide a framework through which to understand his views on international relations. Moreover, though considerable attention has been given to Burke by biographers, historians, literary theorists, and political philosophers, few scholars of international relations have considered his works as relevant to our practical or theoretical understanding of international politics. This neglect of Burke as an international theorist seems strange, given that many of the concerns which dominated his political career - British rule in India and America, the partition of Poland, the French Revolu­ tionary Wars - were questions of "foreign policy". In commenting on such issues, Burke reflected on some of the central themes of 1 2 Edmund Burke and International Relations international relations: empire, trade, the balance of power, war and revolution. Those scholars who have addressed the international dimension of Burke's thinking have tended to do so selectively, with a particular agenda in mind. Vilho Harle, for example, focuses on the Man- icheanism of Burke's war against the French Revolution, and "his influence on the later Cold War images of the enemy".5 It is not enough, however, to emphasise the counter-revolutionary features of Burke's conservatism; equally important to understanding his inter­ national theory is his account of international society in "normal times".
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