Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents is a political pamphlet by the Irish politician and philosopher Edmund Burke, first published on 23 April 1770.[1] The subject is the nepotism of King George III and the influence of the Court on the House of Commons of Great Britain.[2] The essay was influential in defining political parties and their roles within government.[3] In it, Burke argued that parties are "bod[ies] of men united for promoting by their joint endeavours the national interest upon some particular principle in which they are all agreed. . . . When bad men combine, the good must associate."[3]

References

  1. ^ Matthew Hargraves (2005). 'Candidates for Fame': The Society of Artists of Great Britain, 1760–1791. Yale University Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-300-11004-3. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  2. ^ Ian Ousby (23 February 1996). The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge University Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-521-43627-4. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b Susan E. Scarrow (4 October 2002). Perspectives on Political Parties: Classic Readings. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-312-29523-3. Retrieved 12 August 2012.

External links


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