Observations On The Reflections Of The Right Hon. Edmund Burke On The Revolution In France

The author of this essay is discussing the work of Catharine Macaulay, who was a historian and political activist in eighteenth century England. Macaulay supported both the American Revolution and the French Revolution, and saw them as moves towards equality and liberty. Burke, in his book Reflections on the Revolution in France, argued that the French Revolution was a mistake and that it would lead to the downfall of the French monarchy. Macaulay's essay challenges Burke's interpretation of British history, and remains an important work in the history of political philosophy.

Catharine Macaulay (1731-91) is considered to have been the first female historian. Her eight-volume History of England (1763-83) and her radical views brought her considerable fame in eighteenth-century England. She was a political activist in favour of parliamentary reform, and wrote several political pamphlets on the subject. She also wrote the feminist work Letters on Education (1790), which argues for the equal education of men and women and is thought to have been influential upon Mary Wollstonecraft. Macaulay supported both the American Revolution and the French Revolution and saw them as moves towards equality and liberty. This political pamphlet, first published in 1790, was written in support of the French Revolution and against Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France. It is a passionate polemic that challenges Burke's interpretation of British history. It remains an important work in the history of political philosophy.