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In political science, a reactionary or a reactionist is a person who holds political views that favor a return to the status quo ante—the previous political state of society—which the person believes possessed positive characteristics that are absent from contemporary society. As a descriptor term, reactionary derives from the ideological context of the left–right political spectrum. As an adjective, the word reactionary describes points of view and policies meant to restore a status quo ante.[1]
As an ideology, reactionism is a tradition in right-wing politics;[1] the reactionary stance opposes policies for the social transformation of society, whereas conservatives seek to preserve the socio-economic structure and order that exists in the present.[2] In popular usage, reactionary refers to a strong traditionalist conservative political perspective of a person opposed to social, political, and economic change.[3][4]
Reactionary ideologies can be radical in the sense of political extremism in service to re-establishing past conditions. To some writers, the term reactionary carries negative connotations—Peter King observed that it is "an unsought-for label, used as a torment rather than a badge of honor."[5] Despite this, the descriptor "political reactionary" has been adopted by writers such as the Austrian monarchist Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn,[6] the Scottish journalist Gerald Warner of Craigenmaddie,[7] the Colombian political theologian Nicolás Gómez Dávila, and the American historian John Lukacs.[8]
- ^ a b The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ISBN 9780002558716
- ^ Lilla, Mark (2016). "Introduction". The Shipwrecked Mind. New York Review Books. pp. xii. ISBN 9781590179024.
- ^ "reactionary". Lexico. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019.
- ^ "reactionary". Merriam-Webster.
- ^ King, Peter. Reaction: Against the modern world. Andrews UK Limited, 2012.
- ^ Credo of a Reactionary by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn – The American Mercury, under his alias Francis Stuart Campbell
- ^ "Scrap the meaningless terms Left and Right and reclaim the honourable title 'reactionary'". The Daily Telegraph. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010.
- ^ Lukacs, John (2000). Confessions of an Original Sinner. St. Augustine's Press. ISBN 9781890318123.