Editing Reactionary (section)

{{Short description|Political view advocating return to a previous societal state}}
{{Conservatism sidebar}}
In [[politics]], a '''reactionary''' is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.<ref name="Modern Thought Third Edition 1999 p. 729">''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. {{ISBN|9780002558716}}</ref> 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 ''[[wiktionary:status_quo_ante|status quo ante]]''.

As an [[ideology]], '''reactionism''' is a tradition in [[right-wing politics]];<ref name="Modern Thought Third Edition 1999 p. 729"/> 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.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Shipwrecked Mind |last=Lilla |first=Mark |publisher=New York Review Books |year=2016 |pages=xii |chapter=Introduction |isbn=9781590179024 }}</ref> In popular usage, ''reactionary'' refers to a strong [[traditionalist conservative]] political perspective of a person opposed to social, political, and economic change.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/reactionary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014094954/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/reactionary |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |title=reactionary |work=Lexico}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reactionary |title=reactionary |work=Merriam-Webster}}</ref> In the 20th century, reactionary politics was associated with restoring values such as discipline, hierarchy and respect for authority and privilege.<ref name="Modern Thought Third Edition 1999 p. 729" />

Reactionary ideologies can be radical in the sense of [[Extremism|political extremism]] in service to re-establishing past conditions. To some writers, the term ''reactionary'' carries negative connotations—[[Peter King (American politician)|Peter King]] observed that it is "an unsought-for label, used as a torment rather than a badge of honor."<ref>King, Peter. Reaction: Against the modern world. Andrews UK Limited, 2012.</ref> Despite this, the descriptor "political reactionary" has been adopted by writers such as the Austrian monarchist [[Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn]],<ref>''Credo of a Reactionary'' by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn – [[The American Mercury]], under his alias Francis Stuart Campbell</ref> the [[Scottish people|Scottish]] journalist [[Gerald Warner|Gerald Warner of Craigenmaddie]],<ref>{{cite news |date=27 July 2010 |title=Scrap the meaningless terms Left and Right and reclaim the honourable title 'reactionary' |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/geraldwarner/100048734/scrap-the-meaningless-terms-left-and-right-and-reclaim-the-honourable-title-reactionary/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730033616/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/geraldwarner/100048734/scrap-the-meaningless-terms-left-and-right-and-reclaim-the-honourable-title-reactionary/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 July 2010}}</ref> the Colombian [[political theology|political theologian]] [[Nicolás Gómez Dávila]], and the American historian [[John Lukacs]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Confessions of an Original Sinner |isbn=9781890318123 |last1=Lukacs |first1=John |year=2000|publisher=St. Augustine's Press }}</ref>