What is a Reactionary?
The term reactionary is often thrown around in political discourse, sometimes as an insult, sometimes as a descriptor, but rarely with full appreciation for its historical and ideological weight. Unlike mere conservatism, which seeks to preserve the status quo, reactionary thought is fundamentally about reversal—an active attempt to roll back perceived social progress and restore a past (real or imagined) order. To understand reactionaries, one must look at their opposition to modernity, their fixation on hierarchy, and their role in political movements past and present.
The Reactionary Mind: Nostalgia as Politics
At its core, reactionary ideology is animated by nostalgia. It’s not a mere longing for the past, but a belief that the past contained a superior social order that has been unjustly dismantled. While conservatives might argue for a measured approach to change, reactionaries go further: they reject the premise that progress itself is desirable. They often view historical moments of social or political upheaval (such as the French Revolution, the Civil Rights Movement, or feminist movements) as corrupting influences that must be undone.
Historian Mark Lilla, in The Shipwrecked Mind, describes the reactionary as someone who sees history not as a steady march forward but as a catastrophe—one that must be reversed through force, policy, or cultural dominance. This is why reactionaries frequently adopt apocalyptic rhetoric: they see themselves as the last defense against the total collapse of civilization as they imagine it should be.
Reactionaries and Hierarchy
A defining characteristic of reactionary thought is its obsession with hierarchy. While political ideologies vary in their views on power distribution, reactionaries see strict racial, gendered, economic, or aristocratic hierarchies not only as natural but as necessary. In many cases, reactionaries do not merely oppose progressive policies; they oppose the very idea that equality is a legitimate goal.
For example, early 20th-century fascist movements were fundamentally reactionary, seeking to restore an imagined past order through authoritarianism and violence. Modern reactionaries may not always advocate explicit fascism, but their worldview tends to align with the idea that society works best when traditional hierarchies are reinforced rather than dismantled.
Reactionaries vs. Conservatives
It’s important to distinguish reactionaries from conservatives. While the two share some ideological ground, they diverge on key issues. Conservatives might wish to slow the pace of social change or tweak existing institutions, but they generally accept that some level of progress is inevitable. Reactionaries, by contrast, believe that progress itself is an aberration.
One of the easiest ways to identify a reactionary is by examining their view of the past. While conservatives may point to historical figures or documents (e.g., the U.S. Constitution) as guiding principles, reactionaries take this further: they argue that the past represents a superior way of life, one that must be forcibly restored. If this seems like a description of a conservative that doesn’t align with your conception of a contemporary conservative, consider that perhaps conservatism, particularly within the Republican Party in the United States, has largely been overrun by reactionary ideology, with very little true conservatism remaining. The shift has been so dramatic that what was once considered the political mainstream for conservatives now often finds itself at odds with the dominant forces within the right-wing coalition.
MAGA, for instance, is not a conservative movement in the traditional sense, but explicitly reactionary. The core of its rhetoric is not about conserving existing institutions but about tearing them down and reconstructing them in the image of a past that never quite existed. It seeks not to maintain democratic norms but to undermine them when they stand in the way of a return to a more hierarchical, exclusionary society. The same dynamic can be seen in various right-wing movements across Europe and beyond.
Why Reactionaries Matter
Reactionaries are not merely fringe voices or relics of the past. They continue to shape modern politics in profound ways. Movements like MAGA and various European far-right parties have all tapped into reactionary impulses, rallying supporters around the idea that their respective nations have fallen from greatness and must be “taken back.” The targets of reactionary ire: immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, leftists, etc., are framed as symptoms of societal decline, making reactionary politics inherently exclusionary and often violent.
Understanding reactionaries is not just an academic exercise; it is essential for recognizing how their ideas shape political discourse. By calling out reactionary ideology for what it is, we can better articulate the stakes of modern political struggles.