There were two “Reigns of Terror,” if we would but remember it and consider it; the one wrought murder in hot passion, the other in heartless cold blood; the one lasted mere months, the other had lasted a thousand years; the one inflicted death upon ten thousand persons, the other upon a hundred millions; but our shudders are all for the “horrors” of the minor Terror, the momentary Terror, so to speak; whereas, what is the horror of swift death by the axe, compared with lifelong death from hunger, cold, insult, cruelty, and heart-break? What is swift death by lightning compared with death by slow fire at the stake? A city cemetery could contain the coffins filled by that brief Terror which we have all been so diligently taught to shiver at and mourn over; but all France could hardly contain the coffins filled by that older and real Terror—that unspeakably bitter and awful Terror which none of us has been taught to see in its vastness or pity as it deserves.
I would say the biggest indictments against the French Revolution can be found in Algeria and Haiti and Vietnam.
I don’t like when people glaze the French revolution “oh it got better that it was because it’s no longer a monarchy”, okay thanks for democratically committing genocides on us very cool
I mean i assume as a Hexbear poster you know what historical materialism is and what Marxists mean by “historically progressive”?
Like, we think The French Revolution was a historically necessary event. France (and Europe) needed to progress from feudalism to capitalism.
That doesnt mean we think capitalist/imperialist France is good or what happened to whichever of those countries youre from was good. Just that history needs to progress so we can get to communism.
I dont want to talk down here. Just be clear with whats intended and what Marxists mean by this. None of us think that liberal capitalist France is good.
I would say the biggest indictments against the French Revolution can be found in Algeria and Haiti and Vietnam.
I don’t like when people glaze the French revolution “oh it got better that it was because it’s no longer a monarchy”, okay thanks for democratically committing genocides on us very cool
I mean i assume as a Hexbear poster you know what historical materialism is and what Marxists mean by “historically progressive”?
Like, we think The French Revolution was a historically necessary event. France (and Europe) needed to progress from feudalism to capitalism.
That doesnt mean we think capitalist/imperialist France is good or what happened to whichever of those countries youre from was good. Just that history needs to progress so we can get to communism.
I dont want to talk down here. Just be clear with whats intended and what Marxists mean by this. None of us think that liberal capitalist France is good.
The Republic banned slavery, the empire brought it back