Why did some critics describe Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s political philosophy as conservative?

Critics often described Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s political philosophy as conservative due to the inherent ambiguity in his work, particularly his assertion in the Philosophy of Right that "the real is rational and the rational is real."1

Depending on the interpretation of this statement, Hegel’s philosophy could be viewed as a justification for the status quo. If one interprets the "real" as the existing political and social institutions of his time, his system appears to legitimize them as the realization of reason. This perspective led some to argue that his thought functioned to uphold established authority rather than challenge it.1

Later, within the Marxist tradition, thinkers such as Friedrich Engels further solidified this characterization by distinguishing between Hegel’s dialectic—which they viewed as a revolutionary principle of movement—and his philosophical system, which they regarded as reactionary, idealistic, and conservative. Consequently, while some saw his work as a tool for social criticism, others maintained that his systematic approach inherently favored stability and the preservation of existing structures.21