reaktionär

Reaktionär (plural Reaktionäre) is a term used in German-language political discourse to describe an individual who advocates a return to a previous political, social, or economic order and resists reforms associated with liberal or democratic change. In English, the corresponding term is “reactionary.” The label is typically applied to those who oppose modernizing reforms and seek to restore older institutions, hierarchies, or values.

In political usage, reactionaries are distinguished from general conservatives by their explicit aim of reversing reforms rather than merely preserving the existing order. They tend to oppose tendencies such as liberal democracy, secularization, social egalitarianism, or universal suffrage, and may defend monarchy, aristocracy, church authority, or nationalist projects as ideals.

Etymology and scope: the word arises from the idea of political “reaction” against progressive change, formed in the 19th century in German and subsequently adopted into other languages. In scholarly and journalistic contexts, it is used to label opponents of reform who argue for a return to a prior social arrangement, rather than for gradual, lawful reform within an existing framework.

Historical usage and nuance: in German-speaking contexts, the term has been used to describe groups opposing liberal constitutionalism and social modernization during the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as counter-reactionary currents. In modern English-language discourse, it remains a polemical descriptor for right-wing or anti-democratic currents that seek to overturn progressive change. Not all conservatives are reactionaries, and the term can be used as a charged label rather than a precise political category.