I don't really see any point to rehabilitating a monarch who, whatever his better qualities, bungled a crisis. I can assuredly be sympathetic to his position, at least as far as "I don't want me or my family to die" goes, but stronger, more principled leadership was needed in France, and his capitulation to the radicals as regards the Civil Oath of the Clergy was ridiculous.
I fully agree with "The King Must Die so that the Country Can Live" position.
That's a bit harsh. While it might sound attractive, is bloodletting for the sake of some collective id ever a good idea? And if we want to cloak the subsequent Terror (and near genocide) in the veil of historical necessity for the sake of advancing democracy, I don't think that means one should celebrate it.
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