The More Moderate Side of Joseph De Maistre: Views on Political Liberty And Political Economy (Mcgill-Queen's Studies in the History of Ideas)

The conventional image of French polemicist and diplomat Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821), one of the fathers of European counter-revolutionary and authoritarian conservatism, is that of a proto-fascist who believed in an exalted papacy and a divinely sanctioned monarchy. Cara Camcastle challenges this view, based on Maistre's published works, by considering his unpublished memoirs, memoranda, diplomatic correspondence, and letters. In an analysis of his ideas on political economy, international relations, and domestic politics, Camcastle reveals Maistre to have opposed absolutism and advocated free trade and economic liberalization, placing his views closer to those of moderates such as Montesquieu, Smith, and Burke. The More Moderate Side of Joseph de Maistre expertly contextualizes his work within the historical events and intellectual debates that emerged in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Camcastle sheds new light on Maistre's conception of government as made up of groups in dynamic counterbalance and on aspects of his economic system. Her more complete and balanced picture of Maistre's political writings is accompanied by translations of previously unpublished work that substantiate key points.