Let’s talk about democratic revolutions. The revolution of the North American colonies against the British gave birth to the first democracy the world had seen since the end of the Roman Republic in 27 BC. Colonists inspired by enlightenment philosophers and led by wealthy land owners to defeat the British Empire and form a new nation for the people. The British didn’t give up, in 1812 they came back. They even burned down the White House.
In 1789 the French decided they wanted to live in a democracy as well. The royalty of Europe wasn’t appreciative of this endeavor. The revolution lasted 10 years. It was a chaotic tumultuous time of mass murder and mayhem.
Three factions dominated the politics of the day. The Girondins, led by the Marquis de Condorcet were the conservative faction. They believed in a sort of Constitutional Monarchy. The Montagnards, led by Georges Danton and Maximillian Robespierre, were the more radical group. They did most of the guillotining of the royals. The Jacobins, led by Jean Paul Marat were the moderate group, trying to represent the best interests of the lower class people of France.
The Girondins were sabotaged by one of their own, John Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai. Marat was killed by a female Girondin sympathizer. The Monagnards were able to kill around 12,000 people in the Reign of Terror. The end result was the French Empire and Napolean Bonaparte. He marched the French Army off to Russia with no coats in the winter. The dream of democracy in France would have to wait until the end of World War I.
The leaders of these revolutionary groups misled their followers. They managed to make a mess of things and turn people off to the idea of democracy. You probably won’t find a history professor say this. It prevented a domino affect of democracy in Europe.
The Weimar Republic (1918 – 1933) struggled at first. There was discontent among the veterans of the Great War. There was hyperinflation and various extremist militias. By 1924 Germany was experiencing some good times. It was the roaring 20s. The economy was good; the arts, science, philosophy and esoterism flourished. People were making money and enjoying freedom under a constitution for the first time.
In 1929 the Great Depression struck the global economy and Germany was hit hard. Their economy was more vulnerable than most. By 1933 the Nazi party had taken advantage of the discontent caused by the downturn. People tend to blame their government for bad economic times. The Fascists grew in power and influence and Hitler was elected as Chancellor. The Reichstag (German legislature) was burned by Nazi operatives. They pegged the blame on communists. The event was used to justify a declaration of martial law giving Hitler full authority. The rest is history.
The French Revolution was sabotaged to prevent democracy in Europe. The Fascists did the same thing to democracy in the Weimar Republic. What would Heinrich Himmler and Friedrich Fromm say to that? Definitely click on the links.
Now let me really bend your brain. As I mentioned before, the Roman Republic came to an end in 27BC. Is it possible same people were responsible for destroying that democracy and turning Rome into a dictatorship? That’s about the time they moved to conquer Israel and Judea.