" The bourgeoisie has disclosed how it came to pass that the brutal display of vigour in the Middle Ages , which Reactionists so much admire , found its fitting complement in the most slothful indolence . It has been the first to show what man's activity can bring about . It has accomplished wonders far surpassing Egyptian pyramids , Roman aqueducts , and Gothic cathedrals ; it has conducted expeditions that put in the shade all former Exoduses of nations and crusades " .
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It sounds like an appreciation of bourgeoisie society with wealth and time to be dedicate to activities different from war and serviva.– Mauro ALLEGRANZASep 4, 2022 at 16:25
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1The usual translation is "reactionaries" rather than "reactionists"--the term basically refers to people who want to turn back the clock to an earlier, more hierarchical form of society. So I think he's saying that although such reactionaries may admire various kinds of "brutal display of vigour" of earlier ages, like building of cathedrals or conquering nearby territories, in comparison with the modern age these past ages seem lazy and slow ('the most slothful indolence'), that that capitalist/bourgeois era has unleashed huge amounts of construction and progress unlike anything in the past.– HypnosiflSep 4, 2022 at 18:14
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1It is clearly one of Lewis Carroll's more fevered writings. In other words, citation needed.– BillOnneSep 5, 2022 at 19:09
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I'll let this question stand, and see how other users react to it, but it's often hard to comment adequately on a brief quotation taken out of context. Hypnosifl's comment is certainly helpful, though. Welcome in any case to PSE.– Geoffrey Thomas ♦Sep 6, 2022 at 10:45
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1@BillOnne It's from the "Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as implied in the title...– haxor789Sep 6, 2022 at 14:27
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