How a nineteenth-century Spanish diplomat predicted the collapse of liberal parliamentary democracy.
In short: Juan Donoso Cortés began his career as an ardent liberal, but the chaos of the 1848 revolutions transformed him into a fierce critic of modernity. He argued that liberalism was merely a bridge to atheistic socialism, ultimately concluding that only absolute authority could save European civilization from total collapse.
Born in 1809, Juan Donoso Cortés was a Spanish intellectual and diplomat who navigated the turbulent politics of the nineteenth century. Initially influenced by thinkers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, he spent his early career as a liberal politician and journalist. However, his worldview shifted dramatically following the 1848 revolutions across Europe and the assassination of Pellegrino Rossi, a prime minister of the Papal States. These events convinced him that rationalism and representative government were inherently impotent to solve the problems of human destiny.
In his most famous work, the 1851 'Essays on Catholicism, Liberalism, and Socialism,' Donoso argued that liberalism was a fatal compromise. He believed that by replacing Christian moral principles with endless parliamentary discussion, liberals inadvertently paved the way for socialism and atheism. He viewed the press as a dangerous tool often used to spread revolutionary chatter, arguing that the abandonment of religious authority left society vulnerable to chaos. Consequently, he became a staunch defender of Ultramontanism and absolute sovereignty, famously advocating for dictatorship as a necessary evil to suppress revolutionary activity.
Donoso's influence persisted long after his death in 1853. In his 1922 work 'Political Theology,' the philosopher Carl Schmitt praised Donoso for his focus on the 'decision' as the core of sovereignty. Schmitt credited Donoso’s 'Discourse on Dictatorship' with challenging the progressive notion of history, positioning him as a pivotal figure in counterrevolutionary thought. Today, Donoso remains a subject of study for his stark warnings about the fragility of political systems that lack a foundation in absolute moral or religious truth.
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