@georgeob1,
Your knowledge of the French Revolution is shallow and simplistic. The Committee for Public Safety (a label borrowed from the early days of the American Revolution), which Max Robespierre eventually came to dominate, did not take over until the spring of 1793, almost four years after the revolution had begun. Threatened with invasion by the Austrians and Prussians, the few "progressive" measures introduced by the Convention were abandoned with the declaration of
la patrie en danger. That took place before Robespierre took over, in late July, 1793 . A good case could be made that the reactionary regimes which attempted the invasion of France were responsible for the failure of "progressive" measures. This also lead to the
levée en masse, the huge armies which were to dominate Europe for more than 20 years. Napoleon did not take over until November, 1799, more than a decade after the revolution began. I suspect the autocracy to which you refer was the Directory--once again, the threat of the reactionary regimes was more responsible for the failure of the goals of the revolution than the governments instituted to defend against that threat.
You have subsequently suggested that RABEL is ignorant. People who live in glass houses . . .
