Sons of Revolution: Part I

3/9/11

Sons of Revolution: Part 1

The world is going to hell in a hand basket. Japan is glowing. The earthquake did more damage than Godzilla. Ghadaffi is strafing civilians and the rest of the Middle East is still in turmoil. While Japan will probably remain stable, the Arabs still have revolution on their minds and, while revolutions are exciting and fun, we must continue to think of the values that drive them.

The longer I live, the more I’m convinced there are only two great political philosophies: The left and the right. Little in modern history illustrates their differences more than comparing the American and French Revolutions. Sorry for the pretentious history lesson but this is relevant stuff. What were the values that compelled our founders to fight George III? Where did these values come from? What about the French? You may have heard that Marie Antoinette uttered, “Let them eat cake”, (she did not) or that the oblivious Louis XVI was downright callous during a time of great hardship (he was). But what really caused the French Revolution (1789-1799) and why was it so bloody?

Hordes of women tearing through the palace of Versaille in 1789 looking to put the queen’s head on a pike, starving and angry as they were, did not drive the revolution. It was driven by the values of the Enlightenment: Science and reason, progress, the goodness of human nature, the individual as master of his future. This was a true revolution, complete, compelled by radical egalitarianism and the total eradication of all class and distinction.

The charismatic utopian, Maximilien Robespierre, sought a dramatic restructuring of society. All vestiges of privilege were pounced upon and torn apart. Words like “madame” and “monsieur” were banished because they sounded bourgeois. The Catholic Church was effectively banned. Its property was seized. Priests were tortured and sometimes executed. While many of the movement leaders were atheist, Robespierre was a deist. Believing that religion was important for the people, he instituted, “The Cult of Reason”. To commemorate it, he had a huge papier mache mountain built at Notre Dame. Robespierre descended the mountain as “The Goddess of Reason”. Up to then the citizens of Paris had been fine with the rolling heads and property seizures but even they seemed to be saying, “Who does he think he is, God?”

During the 1793-1794 Reign Of Terror (otherwise known as the year the French really lost it*), up to 40,000 had been executed for the sin of having money or simply not having sufficient revolutionary zeal. Blood literally ran through the streets on days when the guillotine was busy. Professional malcontent and chief agitator, Jean Paul Marat, stoked the violence from his bathtub. On 7/26/1790, he raged against those revolutionaries he judged too conservative, saying, “Five or six hundred heads would have guaranteed your freedom and happiness but a false humanity has restrained your arms and stopped your blows…”

Perpetually bloodthirsty, the revolution eventually turned on Robespierre himself and many of the other leaders. The chaos finally ended with the dictatorship of Napolean Bonaparte. Since 1789, France has seen the Monarchy restored twice, two more revolutions, and a total of 15 different governments. But they make good wine.

Part II: Why the American Revolution was so different and why anybody should care.

* Amidst much competition for this title.