Burke's Politics: A Study in Whig Orthodoxy

Edmund Burke claimed to be a practical politician, rather than a theorist. Nevertheless, says the author, Burke held consistent political principles which form a coherent political theory. By examining concepts such as natural laws, natural society, civil society, and history in Burke’s speeches and writings, the author comes to some conclusions about Burke’s political theory and its relation to commonly accepted eighteenth-century political doctrines. Succinct and balanced, this study will be of particular interest to political theorists and historians.

Frederick A. Dreyer is Associate Professor of History at the University of Western Ontario. He holds the Ph.D. degree from St. Andrews University, Scotland. He has contributed articles on Burke and British political history to various learned journals, including the Journal of Modern History and the English Historical Review.