The thing we now call “conservatism” in the West largely comes out of a reaction against the French Revolution and other revolutionary movements inspired by it. The Continental conservatives—e.g., Joseph de Maistre, Friedrich von Gentz, Klemens von Metternich, and Juan Donoso Cortés—embraced monarchism, often including its more authoritarian and absolutist varieties, in an effort to avoid the excesses of the French revolution. The conservatives also opposed economic liberalism in the form of free trade and bourgeois “free markets” because these were associated—wrongly in many cases—with the French revolutionaries.
Ryan McMaken is the executive editor at the Mises Institute. He focuses on topics such as government, politics, public policy, and economic policy, often exploring the intersections of culture and society with business and economics. Ryan has been featured in various national publications including Politico, The Hill, and Bloomberg, and he cohosts the Radio Rothbard and Loot & Lobby podcasts.
