Thomas Paine vs. Edmund Burke The differences between the political assertions of Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke revolve around both men's views on the necessity of the French Revolution between 1789 and 1799. Apparently, the social and political upheaval that shook France during of ten years called into question the absolute monarchical regime. of the French monarch and, in turn, sought to destroy the social hierarchies defined by the aristocrats. In other words, power was subject to the lineage into which an individual was born and for this reason, social infrastructures remained rigid with little or no mobility for lower class citizens. In response to the changes sought by rebellious French communities, Edmund Burke's publication of "Reflections on" On a personal level, Burke's assertions appear to support efforts at self-preservation due to his status in the social and political spheres from London. Because he was a statesman, it was obviously easier for Edmund Burke to advocate slow changes toward equality in France because he already enjoyed power in the British House of Commons (para. 32 ). It is for this reason that Thomas Paine's calls for democracy and freedom for the French people are more appealing. Naturally, if the French had needed time to raise the social and political status of the commoners, then the Revolution would not have been necessary. However, the nobles were not prepared to lose their supremacy, and there is a good chance that if they had known of the plans of the lower-class citizens, they would have retaliated with brutal force. Therefore, an upheaval was necessary to change France, and anything contrary to this would require concrete proof that the Crown was willing to consider the problems of the people. In this regard, contrary to Burke's ideas, the people obviously had enough common sense to understand that they would never obtain privileges without force. Accordingly, Paine's statement that contemporary times demanded change was plausible considering the fact that the American colonies had previously revolted against the English crown. Clearly, freedom was on the minds of revolutionaries in France, and this defied all traditions that upheld loyalty to the French.