Socialism of Christ by Austin Bierbower

Author:Austin Bierbower
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: C. H. Sergel & co.
Published: 2009-10-04T09:28:50+00:00

CHAPTER VI,

MONARCHICAL REACTION

We come next to the monarchical element in the early Christian cause. For, in every great political movement, whether in the interest of the people or of the rulers, and whether in that of the poor or of the rich, there is a monarchical faction or tendency. A revolution, though in general a socialistic, democratic or republican one, is always somewhat affected by the very principles or prejudices which it antagonizes. This is due partly to the fact that men are hardly ever pure examples of either one or the other party into which the people are divided on such occasions; so that no matter which side of a question they espouse, they still have lingering relics of sympathy for the other side; partly tQ the fact that in a contest of opinions they are somewhat convinced or modified by the arguments and general force of their opponents; partly to the fact that some get by force of circumstances on the side on which, constitutionally or by education, they do not belong, and still again partly to the fact that they espouse a cause not fully, but only in general, going but part of the length of their partisans.

I say that there is, accordingly, in every popular movement a monarchical element. Some of the people believe like the Orleanists, that their revolutionary interests will best be promoted under a king and nobility; others have no politi cal sentiments whatever, and conceive of nothing but the old regime, others are only moderately radical, and look for reform without revolution, others are ambitious and treacherous and will espouse any cause that promises to save their selfish interests, and others again change in the very course of the contest itself, whether from ill success, or despair ol their ideal.

We thus find in the French Revolution—an event pregnant with all the phases of the popular revolutionary character—that there were monarchists not only among the opponents of the revolutionists, but among the revolutionists themselves, so that their forces were divided, and part of the conflict was waged against itself. Persons entrusted with power in the interest of the people used it for themselves; there grew up an aristocracy of the revolutionary elements; the leaders made themselves quasi princes. Robespierre became dictator, Napoleon I, the republican leader, turned against his cause and made himself emperor, as Cromwell did in the English Revolution, and as Kossuth proposed to do in that of Hungary. The same was done in the revolution of 1830, when Louis Philippe ascended the throne, and in that of 1848 when the republican president installed himself in imperial power as Napoleon III.

So it was in the early Christian movement. Although the cause of Christ was that of the people, in the interest of the people, and in favor of popular sovereignty, there was yet a conservative element observable from the beginning, and a retrograde movement developed with the progress of the cause. Some who espoused the Christian interest gave only moderate adherence

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