About the English Reform Bill

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Newcomb Livraria Press

About this ebook

A new translation directly from the original manuscript of Hegel's essay discussing the English Reform Bill. Hegel both criticized and praised the 1832 The Representation of the People Act, which was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced major changes to the electoral system of England. This edition contains an extensive afterword on Hegelian philosophy by the translator and a timeline of his life and works. This essay is a rare commentary by Hegel on contemporary politics. The text titled "Über die englische Reformbill" was first published in the "Allgemeine preußische Staatszeitung" in 1831, in issues numbered 115, 116, and 118. However, the conclusion of this text could not be published in the Staatszeitung, and it only appeared in a private print edition of the complete text. It argues that the reform aims to bring greater fairness and symmetry to the distribution of voting rights among different population classes and regions. The current inequality and anomalies in the electoral system are criticized, especially the fact that small towns and communities often have disproportionate influence on parliamentary elections, while larger cities are excluded. The text also points out that the purchase of parliamentary seats and the bribery of voters are widespread, indicating deep political corruption.

About the author

One of the most influential philosophers of all time, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) emerged as one of the most influential figures in German Idealism and Western philosophy. Born on August 27, 1770, in Stuttgart, Hegel's thinking was shaped early on by the events of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. His academic journey began in Tübingen, where he studied philosophy and theology and formed friendships with future prominent German intellectuals like Friedrich Hölderlin and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling. His notion that history progresses through conflicts and resolutions shaped Karl Marx's theories of societal development, while his concept of the master-slave dialectic has been foundational in critical theory and studies of power and recognition.