Metternich: The Odious Ideas of the Philosophes

Adam Hawiger

Thesis: As a conservative and borderline reactionary, Metternich offers a harsh critique of the doctrines of the philosophes, not merely as a political opponent, but as a religious conservative opposed to the irreligiousness of the philosophes and the resulting upheaval of their Revolution.

1. Metternich begins by describing the progress which broke out as too rapid to be rationally carried out.
o He stated that the progress grew faster than wisdom in recent years. According to Metternich, wisdom is the “counterpoise to passions and to error”
o As a result, according to Metternich, revolutions of false systems broke out.
2. Metternich criticizes the philosophes ideals revolving around irreligious themes, rather than their liberal philosophy.
o He states they were given great talent in order to sway men in order to achieve their enterprise.
o This enterprise consists of rejecting God and His laws, without consideration about the result.
 Metternich described the situation in France as the result of such religious mockery and sacrilege.
 He also condemned the social contract as conducive to these sentiments.
o Metternich went further to describe that the revolution had already broken out among the nobles, and that the lower classes were only preparing for their revolution
3. Metternich saw in Napoleon I the seeds of this revolution, not only pointing out the errors of France, but also their spread throughout Europe, and the lack of satisfactory results.
o The Revolution in France had been short, thus easy to spread according to Metternich
o Napoleon only spread it through military conquest
 Metternich disparagingly claimed that the upheaval caused by the French destroyed the institutions which could resist the effects of time, replaced with less stable and certain new institutions.