Today marks the 212th anniversary of the day that King Louis the XVI lost his head at the guillotine in Paris. This was the first execution in what became the tremendous bloodbath known as the French Revolution. In the end, the bloodletting only ceased when the revolutionaries eventually killed their own leader, Robespierre.
Certainly, the plight of the French people warranted an overthrow of their bloated and unrepresentative government. However, unlike the American Revolution which occurred at roughly the same time in history, the French Revolution was based primarily on humanistic ideals such as the ultimate nobility of man. It's no wonder that the revolution soon lost its moral course and turned into an ultra-violent ordeal marked by eras known as The Terror and The Great Terror.
However, if you would prefer a less philosophical summary of the French Revolution, please follow this link to Allan Sherman's wonderful song, "You went the wrong way old King Louis."
