Reactionary

A reactionary is a person who favors returning to a previous state of society. They believe the past possessed positive qualities that are missing in the present. In politics, this idea sits on the right-wing side of the spectrum. While conservatives seek to preserve the current socio-economic structure, reactionaries want to undo recent changes. They aim to restore a status quo ante, which is a previous state of affairs. This stance opposes the social transformation of society. Some people use the term as a negative label or a political slur. However, some writers and historians have adopted the term to describe their own views.

The term originated during the French Revolution in the late 18th century. It derives from the French word for "reaction." This period created three important political descriptors: "reactionary," "conservative," and "right." In its original French usage, it meant a movement toward reversing an existing state. The first English usage appeared in 1799 in a translation regarding the Coup of 18 Fructidor. During the 19th century, reactionaries often idealized the pre-modern era. They looked back to the time before the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution. They often supported feudalism and traditional social hierarchies.

One important moment was the Thermidorian Reaction in 1794. This movement occurred within the French Revolution to oppose the Jacobins. The Jacobins were a radical group led by Maximilien Robespierre. After Robespierre was overthrown on 27 July 1794, the French National Convention regained power. The Thermidorian Reaction stopped the frequent use of the guillotine. It sought a middle course between radical revolutionaries and monarchists. This period led to a time of relative exuberance and corruption in France.

Following the fall of Napoleon, France experienced the Bourbon Restoration. This movement reinstated the Bourbon dynasty as a constitutional monarchy. King Louis XVIII ruled during this time with an elected lower house of parliament. He faced a group of strict royalists known as the Ultras. This group was so dedicated to old ways that they were called the "chambre introuvable," or "unfindable house." These Ultras sought to revert laws to the time of absolute monarchy. They wanted to return society to the era of Louis XIV.

In the 19th century, leaders worked to contain revolutionary forces across Europe. Prince Metternich was the foreign minister of the Austrian Empire from 1815 to 1848. He was a key figure at the Congress of Vienna. He helped establish the Concert of Europe to maintain order after Napoleon's defeat. Metternich worked with the Holy Alliance, which included Russia, Prussia, and Austria. This alliance acted as a form of collective security against revolution. Metternich used the Catholic Church as a principal ally to promote stability. Despite these efforts, many revolutions still broke out across Europe in 1848.

The 20th century brought new and complex uses for the word. In the Soviet Union, proponents of communism used "reactionary" as a pejorative label. They used it to describe enemies like the White Armies during the Russian Civil War. In Marxist theory, the term describes people whose ideas might contain elements of feudalism or capitalism. The label was also used by non-socialists to describe various political groups. For example, a British diplomat used it to describe the Chinese Royalist Party in 1912.

Reactionary politics also appeared in different forms within left-wing governments. In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin implemented conservative social policies. These included restrictions on abortion and the re-criminalization of homosexuality. The term is also used to describe supporters of authoritarian regimes. Examples include the governments of Vichy France, Spain under Franco, and Portugal under Salazar. Even the Italian Fascists addressed the term. Benito Mussolini once stated that "fascism is reaction." However, his movement also claimed to be a revolutionary and original creation. They argued that their state was not a return to monarchical absolutism.