0,49 €
Niedrigster Preis in 30 Tagen: 1,99 €
Niedrigster Preis in 30 Tagen: 1,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
- Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
- Sprache: Englisch
In "Burke," John Morley delivers an incisive examination of the life and philosophy of Edmund Burke, the 18th-century statesman and political theorist whose ideas shaped modern conservatism. Morley employs a nuanced literary style that intertwines biographical narrative with critical analysis, positioning Burke within the tumultuous socio-political context of his time, particularly during the American Revolution and the onset of the French Revolution. The text masterfully deconstructs Burke's arguments against radical change, emphasizing the significance of tradition and gradual reform, while exploring the tensions between liberty and order that resonate throughout modern political discourse. John Morley, a prominent British statesman and thinker himself, was deeply ingrained in the political dialogues of his era, having served as a liberal member of parliament and a close associate of significant political figures such as William Ewart Gladstone. His profound interest in philosophy and history is evident in his writings, as he sought to illuminate the complexities of political thought, particularly those of Burke. Morley's rich background in literature, politics, and philosophy provided a fertile ground for this exploration, reflecting both reverence and critical engagement with Burke's legacy. "Burke" is essential reading for anyone interested in the foundations of modern political thought or the interplay between tradition and progress. Morley's articulate prose and keen insights make this book not only a scholarly resource but also a compelling narrative that invites readers to reflect on the enduring significance of Burke's ideas in contemporary society. This work will enrich your understanding of political philosophy and its practical implications. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
Ähnliche
Burke
Table of Contents
Introduction
At the heart of John Morley’s Burke lies the drama of principle tested by the pressures of political reality. Morley approaches Edmund Burke not as an emblem fixed in partisan myth, but as a working statesman whose ideas matured amid fierce contests over power, empire, and reform. The book traces how a thinker renowned for eloquence navigated the compromises and crises of parliamentary life, and how judgment, not dogma, governed his interventions. Without presuming to settle every debate, Morley presents Burke as a figure whose political imagination remains vivid, inviting readers to weigh prudence, conscience, and circumstance in the conduct of public affairs.
First published in the late 1870s as a volume in Macmillan’s English Men of Letters series, Burke is a biographical-critical study written by the Victorian essayist and statesman John Morley. Its subject is the world of eighteenth-century Britain and its expanding empire, from Westminster’s corridors to the far reaches of colonial administration. Morley writes with the measured confidence of a nineteenth-century liberal mind engaging an eighteenth-century master, situating Burke within the texture of his age’s debates. The book belongs equally to biography, intellectual history, and political criticism, aiming to be concise, accessible, and serious in its appraisal of a formidable career.
The premise is straightforward: to render Edmund Burke’s life and thought intelligible to general readers while offering scholars a compact, judicious synthesis. Morley proceeds chronologically yet pauses for thematic assessments of major speeches and pamphlets, balancing narrative with analysis. The voice is formal but lucid, animated by close attention to context and to the practical conditions of statesmanship. The mood is reflective rather than polemical; where disputes remain, Morley identifies stakes and evidence without theatrical flourish. The result is an introduction that reads with the momentum of a life story while distilling the durable questions that made Burke an enduring presence.
Morley follows Burke from Irish beginnings through his entrance into English public life and his long tenure in the House of Commons, foregrounding the environments that shaped decision and temperament. Parliamentary conflicts, party alliances, and the responsibilities of opposition and office supply the book’s dramatic settings. The analysis turns on how character, habit, and experience intersected with policy, making clear that Burke’s arguments were tethered to institutions and events rather than to abstract theory alone. By linking episodes of public action with the evolution of underlying principles, Morley presents a portrait of intellect under pressure, tested by the contingencies of governance.
Several themes receive sustained attention: the nature of representation; the ethics of party; the strain between imperial power and moral restraint; the relation of liberty to order; and the dangers of ideological simplification. The American crisis and the French convulsion frame, in different registers, Burke’s reflections on constitutional balance and political time—when to reform, how far, and by what means. Morley emphasizes prudence as an instrument of change rather than a plea for stasis, and he examines the rhetoric of statesmanship as a tool for coalition and persuasion. Throughout, Burke’s style is treated as inseparable from the substance of his thought.
Readers today will recognize questions that have not faded: how institutions withstand fervor, how conscience navigates party loyalty, and how public language can clarify rather than inflame. Morley’s approach invites engagement rather than reverence, encouraging critical sympathy across disagreements. Without anachronism, he draws lines between eighteenth-century dilemmas and recurring modern anxieties about populism, administrative power, and global responsibility. The book models careful reading of primary texts within political circumstance, showing how arguments acquire force from context. In its restraint and clarity, it offers a counterpoint to hurried analysis, valuing tested judgment over slogans and reminding us what thoughtful criticism can accomplish.
The appeal of Burke lies in its combination of brevity, balance, and intellectual seriousness. For students of political thought, it offers a compact map to one of the tradition’s pivotal figures; for historians, a clear guide to parliamentary culture and imperial policy; for general readers, a brisk, humane study of character under obligation. Morley neither sanctifies nor dismantles; he elucidates. By presenting Burke as a working intelligence rather than a monument, the book opens space for disagreement while deepening respect for complexity. It remains a useful companion for anyone seeking to understand how ideas operate when translated into public action.
Synopsis
John Morley’s Burke, in the English Men of Letters series, presents a succinct biography and analysis of Edmund Burke’s life, writings, and public career. Morley organizes the narrative chronologically, interweaving political context with close attention to Burke’s major speeches and pamphlets. He aims to show how Burke’s practical method, grounded in experience and history, guided his responses to imperial, constitutional, and revolutionary crises. The book draws on parliamentary debates, published works, and contemporary testimony to trace Burke’s development from literary figure to statesman. It introduces the central themes of party, representation, reform, empire, and tradition that frame the ensuing chapters.
Morley begins with Burke’s Irish background, education at Trinity College Dublin, and early move to London’s literary world. He notes the apprenticeship in letters through the Annual Register and the publication of A Vindication of Natural Society and the Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful. These works establish Burke’s interest in rhetoric, imagination, and moral psychology. Service as private secretary to William Gerard Hamilton and later connection with the Rockingham circle provided entry to politics. Morley outlines the skills, relationships, and outlook Burke carried from authorship into public life, emphasizing habits of patient inquiry, attention to institutions, and preference for gradual improvement.
The narrative then turns to Burke’s alliance with the Rockingham Whigs and his case for organized party. In Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, Burke criticizes court influence and defines party as a principled association for the public good. Morley explains how this doctrine underpinned parliamentary opposition to royal favorites and ministerial instability. Burke’s concept of representation as a trust, exercised by informed judgment rather than fluctuating opinion, emerges alongside his views on constitutional balance. Through debates and pamphlets of the late 1760s and early 1770s, Morley presents Burke’s method as empiric, conciliatory, and wary of abstract political schemes.
With the American controversy, Morley follows Burke’s consecutive interventions on imperial policy. In speeches on American Taxation and Conciliation with the Colonies, Burke urges repeal of revenue measures, recognition of colonial character, and reliance on practical experience over theory. Morley situates these arguments within the escalating conflict, noting Burke’s consistent emphasis on commerce, legal rights, and the temper of a free people. The account tracks parliamentary divisions, ministerial strategies, and unfolding events across the Atlantic without recounting military detail. Burke’s position stands as an application of his general principles to a specific crisis, seeking accommodation within the framework of the empire.
Morley next recounts Burke’s election for Bristol and the famous statement of representative duty that accompanied it. He describes Burke’s conduct as member, including support for free trade, relief for Catholics, and measures affecting Ireland, which he treated as integral to the empire’s prosperity and justice. The resulting tensions with constituents and local interests led to the loss of the Bristol seat. Morley emphasizes how this episode illustrates the idea of representation as judgment rather than delegation. Burke’s return to Parliament for Malton maintains continuity in his program of administrative reform, commercial policy, and constitutional restraint on discretionary power.
The middle chapters detail Burke’s plan of economical reform aimed at reducing crown patronage, curbing sinecures, and regularizing public finance. Morley traces the proposals from opposition to partial enactment during the Rockingham ministry, highlighting Burke’s work as Paymaster. The narrative then treats the East India question, explaining the rationale of Fox’s India Bill to place the Company under parliamentary control. Burke’s support reflects concern for accountable empire and protection of subject peoples. The bill’s defeat, the formation of the new ministry, and the reconfiguration of parties close this phase, preparing the ground for Burke’s sustained involvement in Indian affairs.
Morley devotes substantial attention to the impeachment of Warren Hastings. He outlines the select committees, the framing of charges, and Burke’s principal speeches, including those on the Nabob of Arcot’s debts and on the nature of imperial trusteeship. The trial serves to illustrate Burke’s standards of justice, responsibility, and restraint in governance overseas. Morley narrates the long proceedings without dwelling on courtroom drama, keeping focus on documents, policies, and administrative practice. He presents the impeachment as a test of parliamentary oversight of empire and as an instance of Burke’s blend of moral appeal with detailed knowledge of institutional procedure.
The final political turning point is Burke’s response to the French Revolution. Morley summarizes Reflections on the Revolution in France, its defense of inherited institutions, and its critique of abstract rights, improvisation in government, and attack on religious establishments. He records the resulting estrangement from former allies, the exchanges with Fox, and subsequent writings such as Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs and the Letters on a Regicide Peace. Burke’s later years, marked by bereavement, withdrawal from Parliament, and continued authorship, are sketched as the completion of a consistent method applied to a new and disruptive phenomenon.
In conclusion, Morley gathers Burke’s legacy across themes of party organization, representative duty, financial and administrative reform, imperial responsibility, and respect for historical continuity. He emphasizes coherence of method rather than uniformity of positions, presenting Burke as a statesman guided by experience, caution, and the claims of justice within a constitutional order. The book closes by noting Burke’s literary style, the structure of his arguments, and the endurance of his concepts in later political thought. Without polemic, Morley situates Burke among enduring references for parliamentary government, humane empire, and prudential change rooted in tested institutions.
Historical Context
John Morley’s Burke, published in 1879 in the English Men of Letters series, examines the career of Edmund Burke (1729–1797) against the political geography of eighteenth-century Britain and its expanding empire. The book’s stage is London and Westminster—where ministries rose and fell under George III—set in dynamic relation to Dublin, Paris, Philadelphia, and Calcutta. Britain’s fiscal-military state, swollen by global war and colonial commerce, fostered intense debates over representation, rights, and imperial governance. Morley, a late-Victorian Liberal, interprets Burke’s public life in an era bracketed by the Seven Years’ War’s aftermath and the French Revolutionary Wars, using the British Isles and imperial peripheries as interlocking arenas of constitutional experiment and crisis.
The consolidation of George III’s personal influence after 1760 and the instability of ministries shaped Burke’s constitutional thought. Cabinets rotated—Grenville (1763–65), Rockingham (1765–66), Grafton (1768–70), North (1770–82)—amid efforts to strengthen crown patronage and court connection. In Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents (1770), Burke defended party as a principled instrument to check monarchical overreach. His later Economical Reform program (notably the Civil Establishments Act of 1782) sought to prune sinecures and reduce the Civil List. Morley presents these reforms as a campaign for accountable administration, situating Burke’s theory of party and economy within the practical struggles of Whig opposition to the “King’s Friends.”
The American crisis unfolded from imperial taxation experiments to a revolutionary war. Parliamentary measures—the Sugar Act (1764), Stamp Act (1765), Townshend Duties (1767), and Tea Act (1773)—ignited colonial resistance, culminating in the Boston Tea Party (December 1773), the Coercive Acts (1774), and armed conflict at Lexington and Concord (April 1775). Independence was declared in 1776; the war ended with Yorktown (1781) and the Treaty of Paris (1783). Burke’s speeches On American Taxation (1774) and On Conciliation with America (1775) argued that sovereignty was compatible with renouncing revenue claims. Morley reads these interventions as the classic Victorian model of empirical statesmanship: temper authority by history, custom, and the psychology of free communities.
Company rule in India produced the moral and constitutional crisis that most engaged Burke’s later career. The Regulating Act (1773) created a Governor-General and Council at Fort William; Warren Hastings held office from 1773 to 1785 amid revenue exactions after the Bengal famine (1770). Controversies included the Rohilla War (1774), the treatment of Chait Singh of Benares (1781), and the spoliation of the Begums of Oudh (1782). After Fox’s India Bill failed in 1783, Pitt’s India Act (1784) established a Board of Control. Burke led Hastings’s impeachment in Westminster Hall from 13 February 1788 to acquittal in 1795. Morley uses the record—especially the speech on the Nabob of Arcot’s debts (1785)—to depict Burke’s ethics of empire: accountability, restraint, and the rule of law.
The French Revolution reconfigured European politics between 1789 and 1799. The fall of the Bastille (14 July 1789), the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) gave way to war (1792), the September Massacres, the Republic, and the Terror under the Committee of Public Safety (1793–94). Louis XVI was executed on 21 January 1793; Robespierre fell on 27–28 July 1794. Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), followed by the Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs (1791) and Letters on a Regicide Peace (1796–97), defended prescription and mixed constitution. On 6 May 1791 he publicly broke with Charles James Fox in the Commons. Morley situates this rupture as a caution against abstract, coercive egalitarianism.
Irish questions of religion, commerce, and constitutional status run through Burke’s life. Born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College, he campaigned for Catholic relief within a Protestant Ascendancy constrained by the Penal Laws. The Papists Act (1778) and further relief (1793) met fierce hostility, provoking the Gordon Riots in London (June 1780). In Ireland, the Volunteer movement and Henry Grattan’s leadership produced the Constitution of 1782, easing Westminster’s legislative claims. Burke’s Letter to Sir Hercules Langrishe (1792) urged comprehensive Catholic emancipation. Morley links these controversies to Burke’s loss of his Bristol seat (1774–1780), where his support for Irish trade concessions and toleration antagonized mercantile and sectarian interests.
Reform of public finance and the moral economy of empire formed a sustained eighteenth-century movement. Burke’s Economical Reform (1780–82) targeted court patronage, abolished certain boards, and curtailed Civil List abuses to align fiscal practice with constitutional balance. In parallel, British abolitionism gathered force: the London Committee formed in 1787, Thomas Clarkson’s investigations mobilized opinion, and William Wilberforce opened parliamentary campaigns (1789 onward), culminating later in the Slave Trade Act (1807). Burke’s Sketch of a Negro Code (drafted 1780, published 1789) proposed stringent regulation and gradual abolition. Morley presents these programs together as a coherent ethic of humane governance, where administrative frugality and the protection of subject peoples test the legitimacy of imperial power.
As social and political critique, the book exposes the central afflictions of Burke’s century: court influence over representation, imperial corruption, confessional intolerance, and the destructive zeal of ideological extremism. Morley’s Burke indicts patronage networks that diverted public money from service, denounces the exploitation of Indian revenues and elites, defends religious minorities against mob violence and legal disabilities, and warns that abstract schemes of equality unchecked by institutions end in coercion. By reconstructing debates on America, India, and France, the biography treats prudence, party connection, and the rule of law as instruments against class domination and arbitrary power, offering a liberal grammar for reform without catastrophe.
