Conservative Thought and the English Bourgeoisie

Abstract

It is argued by Mannheim that conservative thought, of which he takes Romanticism as an example, is anti-bourgeois thought. However English Romantic Conservatism does not appear to fit this model. English conservative thought (for example, Burke and Disraeli) is not anti-bourgeois. Furthermore English Romantic conservatism exhibits certain parallels with Wesleyan Methodism (hereafter referred to as Methodism) which acts, via its work ethic, as an ideological support for the bourgeoisie. The article explores the relationship of English Romantic conservatism to the bourgeosie, its similarities and differences regarding the thought of the latter, and the cultural functions it performs. This throws light on the sociological determinants of Romanticism. These are complex, it is argued, but basically there is an interplay of traditional pre-capitalist and more modem influences, reflecting the interpenetration of different stages of social development. Romantic conservatism, it is claimed, provides a rich source of symbolism for the modem bourgeoisie and traditional (mercantile and agricultural) capital, demonstrating its ambivalence regarding modern and traditional milieux. At the same time, it remains a non-bourgeois, pre-capitalist type of thought. Its major significance lies in its contribution to the elaboration of more hegemonic forms of dominant culture than would otherwise have been possible, it is concluded.