RE: Is Prince Harry the best advocate for the UK to become a republic?
January 13, 2009 at 1:04 pm
(January 13, 2009 at 4:46 am)leo-rcc Wrote: What exactly was so great about the French revolution? Disease, starvation, and death sentences to not only the aristocracy but a lot of innocent civilians. And for what? For a corrupt and indecisive government effectively ruled by one person, eventually being overthrown to give rise to Napoleon Bonaparte.
If that is your best example I will pass thank you very much.
Also keep in mind the kings and emperors of those days were the absolute rulers, there was no democracy in place at all. That is a huge difference with the current system. The UK (just like the Netherlands) has a constitution in place that no king or queen has the totalitarian rule the way Louis the 14th had.
Well Leo, what was so great was that the ancien regime was destroyed virtually overnight. A regime that was totalitarian rule indeed and which needed to be destroyed. The French chose revolution rather than gradualism, and I applaud " the men of 1789 " for seizing the moment.
I doubt that the first 2 estates would have given up their wealth, power and privileges easily or quickly, so revolution was justified, in my view.
Now obviously revolutions are bloody...that's the nature of the beast and it is true that some innocent people were guillotined. However, the revolution had to be defended and thus mistakes were made.
The revolution was a monumental piece of history and spread hope around the globe....and petrified despots everywhere.
The French are justifiably proud of it and continue to celebrate annually.......and they haven't seen fit to reintroduce monarchy to their country!
Vive la revolution!
A man is born to a virgin mother, lives, dies, comes alive again and then disappears into the clouds to become his Dad. How likely is that?
