Reaksjonære

Reaksjonære is a political term used to describe individuals or groups who advocate a return to a previous social and political order and who oppose liberal, democratic, or progressive reforms. The word is derived from French réactionnaire and entered many European languages to label those who seek to reverse changes brought by revolutions or modernizing forces. In Norwegian usage, "reaksjonær" and "reaksjonære" carry connotations of resisting change and upholding traditional authority.

Historically, reactionary currents emerged in Europe after the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, aiming to restore monarchies, aristocratic privileges, and the influence of the church. They often opposed liberal constitutions, universal suffrage, and secularization, arguing that the existing order provided stability and moral authority. The era of Metternich and the Holy Alliance is frequently cited as a peak of reactionary diplomacy and censorship, though the term can also apply to later movements that sought to roll back reform rather than to all conservative currents.

Beliefs and methods commonly associated with reactionaries include a distrust of rapid change, a preference for hierarchy and authority, and an emphasis on tradition, national identity, and religious or cultural continuity. Strategies may involve political lobbying, alliances with religious or military power, and suppression of dissident movements.

Reactionaries are often contrasted with conservatives, who advocate gradual reform within established institutions rather than a wholesale return to a past order. In contemporary discourse, the label can describe ultraconservative or anti-democratic actors who resist liberalization, secularization, or multicultural policy, though its exact meaning depends on context and speaker intent. Critics view reactionaries as obstructive to modernization and sometimes linked to authoritarian tendencies.