The Idea of Revolution

Europeans in the first half of the nineteenth century lived under the specter of revolution. The giant shadow of 1789 was felt throughout the period, and seemed to rear its head in 1830, in 1848, and even later. The idea of popular sovereignty was no longer only a concept to be discussed by intellectuals, but a possibility which became ever more tangible for the common people. The canaille loomed threateningly over the republican sensibilities even of liberals who were willing to entertain the possibility of democracy in the future. In this atmosphere, Britain seemed a relative safe haven, separated from France and the continent not only by water, but also by its unique history. It had already undergone its revolutions in the seventeenth century, and now enjoyed relative stability, and the mixed government and ensuing prosperity which other nations could only dream of. This image of a secure and progressing Britain often appears in Macaulay’s writings. Yet like other contemporaries, he was well aware of the fragility of this sense of security. Our perspective of two centuries later falsely suggests that nineteenth-century Britons could afford to feel safe from social and political upheaval, yet this is wisdom in hindsight. In the reality of the times, as the combination of new urban industrial poor, radical and socialist agitation, and unremitting social, economic, and political pressures mounted, no one could afford to be complacent about the possibility that Britain would also find itself in the throes of revolution. It is therefore a combination of British self-confidence with guarded apprehension of revolution which typifies Macaulay’s consideration of the concept of revolution. A closer examination, however, reveals a surprising fact – that he viewed the idea of revolution in a generally positive light. The short explanation for this outlook is that his belief in British stability was sufficient to consider revolution mainly as a foreign phenomenon. Yet detailed scrutiny reveals a more complicated picture.

There are various instances in Macaulay’s writings which suggest that he disapproved of political revolutions. The scholar who considered this topic most closely was Joseph Hamburger. Hamburger noted Macaulay’s preference for “noiseless,” or “defensive,” revolutions rather than dramatic change: revolutions such as the Glorious Revolution, which retained a sense of continuity.