The history of the French Revolution helps illuminate the stakes and the challenges at hand. In particular, this history suggests that when each side views the other as an existential threat, maintaining political power becomes the greatest imperative—which only increases the likelihood of authoritarian solutions arising as a result.
The French Revolution of 1789 had many causes—political, ideological, economic, and social—yet in its early phases, many people were optimistic about forming a new representative government based on meritocracy and leaving behind an absolutist polity and hierarchical class structures. The members of the newly formed National Assembly, including representatives of all three French “estates”—clergy, aristocrats, and commoners, came together to forge a government envisioned as a constitutional monarchy ruling in tandem with an elected legislative assembly.
Read More: The French Revolution Offers a Warning About Presidential Immunity
However, deep divisions soon appeared: the more liberal members of the National Assembly were convinced that the political right was scheming to undermine the Revolution and bring back absolute monarchy—especially when war broke out with European countries hostile to France’s political changes. Conspiracy theories and inflammatory rhetoric emerged among both the general population and the political elite.
As King Louis XVI’s lack of commitment to democratic change became clear, violence broke out in Paris and elsewhere, leading to the overthrow of the monarchy and the declaration of the French Republic in September 1792. The king’s execution in January 1793 led to civil war throughout much of the nation. Royalists fled the country, fearing legal and physical danger.
Divisions emerged even among those committed to democratic reforms. A struggle among factions in the National Convention led to the defeat and arrest of the leftwing Jacobins’ political enemies. During the bloody and violent…
