Did you learn about any of this in school?
Listen to this fine, well-researched video that presents all the relevant facts clearly and succinctly.
Why The French Revolution Was Worse Than You Thought
May 19, 2023
The French Revolution is often portrayed in the West as a case of the oppressed masses rising up against a tyrannical monarchy, nobility, and clergy. This narrative is often backed up by films, history textbooks, and even video games. But the truth is the reality of the French Revolution is much more complicated that. In reality, the French Revolution took a flawed system and turned it into a monstrosity that was much worse. In this video on Pax Tube, I explain why The French Revolution was worse than it is often portrayed, and how its flawed philosophies led to the Reign of Terror and more. Listen in for a lesson about one of the most important and controversial events of modern history!
WATCH & LISTEN:
On the sub-story about the genocide in western France whose long-buried facts emerged into French public consciousness only in the 1980s.
(Video is available to watch for free in the embedded links.)
On the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne
“They sang their way to the scaffold.”
[ The Song at the Scaffold, the early 1930s novella by Gertrud von Le Fort, a German countess and Catholic convert. ]
Ten days after the martyrdom of these Carmelites, Maximilien Robespierre himself was executed by guillotine by fellow revolutionaries.
Thus ended the Reign of Terror.
This event still moves me every time I read writings about it, or listen to the opera [Dialogues des Carmelites] inspired by it (and frequently performed by opera companies today).
A beautiful account of the last moments on this earth of these Carmelites, each of whom climbed the scaffold with peace in her heart, singing the Veni Creator Spiritus:
The Martyrs of Compiègne
Will just leave you with this lovely performance of this reverent Catholic hymn that dates back to the 9th c..
There was complete silence among the normally boisterous crowd waiting bloodthirstily to witness yet another murder by the blade.
I imagine that this is how those Carmelites meeting their martyrdom might have sounded.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Gomburza which just recently released in Netflix