In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett talk about the French Revolution and the fascinating parallels between 18th-century French social dynamics and today's political landscape.

From bureaucratic upheaval to radical terror, journey through the chaos that transformed France and birthed modern political divisions. Learn how a centralized monarchy crumbled into revolutionary fervor, spawning new ideas of nationalism, secularism, and total war that would reshape Europe.

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HIGHLIGHTS:

The French Revolution and Secular Cycles

Open and Closed Societies

The French Monarchy and its Attempt to Protect Freedom

The French Enlightenment and Modernity

Causes of the French Revolution

The Internal Conflicts and Instability of the Revolution

The Reign of Terror and the Jacobins

The Napoleonic Wars and their Impact on Europe

The Left and Right in French Politics

Counterfactual History: What if the Fronde had succeeded?

The French Army and National Identity

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

"Fire in the Minds of Men" by James Hadley Billington

"The Old Regime and the French Revolution" by Alexis Henri C M Clerel Tocqueville

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