Religion and Revolution in the major works of Edmund Burke and Alexis de Tocqueville

Abstract

This paper aims at discussing the relations between religion and revolution
according to Edmund Burke’s and Alexis de Tocqueville’s considerations on the unleashment
of the French Revolution. There is a rare dialog between both authors made by the
French thinker, mainly in his book The Old Regime and the Revolution. Nonetheless, I intend
to deepen this dialog. This procedure will make it possible to review the comparisons –
between the English and the French Revolutions – made by both authors and the distinct
role played by religion in each process. Finally, I try to identify the main proximities and
distances in the analysis of both authors on the theme.