General Discussion

Stuart G

(38,726 posts)

73. On the left side ..as always,.here is an important fact,left and right came from this event:

Tue Oct 27, 2015, 09:12 PM

Oct 2015

The terms "left" and "right" came from the Estates General that met at the start of the French Revolution.(that was the French Legislature at that time)....Now those in favor of keeping things the way they were, and making few changes. were on the Right.......Farther Right you were the more you supported the king

Those on the left were in favor of change...farther left you were, the more you were in favor of more significant changes such as took place after the American Revolution. Those who were for the most change were farthest left..

Those in the middle were ...in the middle, some change but some stay the same....

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Where would you have stood in the French Revolution? [View all] Recursion Oct 2015 OP

Who knows, I was -176 years old when that started FSogol Oct 2015 #1

Under the guillotine? flor-de-jasmim Oct 2015 #2

Thank you; sorry. Added (nt) Recursion Oct 2015 #4

Actually, relatively few of the guillotined were aristos... brooklynite Oct 2015 #61

I don't know enough about French history, but our own American Revolution closeupready Oct 2015 #3

Yeah, I did know that. Recursion Oct 2015 #5

More than anything I think I would have been with Thomas Paine deutsey Oct 2015 #6

Good choice. closeupready Oct 2015 #8

I wold have been under the guillotine MohRokTah Oct 2015 #7

I know more about the nuances of the American Revolution deutsey Oct 2015 #9

Marat was pretty bad, tho. Simon Schama did a number on him when he was CTyankee Oct 2015 #23

Why was Marat pretty bad? BillZBubb Oct 2015 #32

France had plenty of Marats Recursion Oct 2015 #39

Based on a reading of Schama's "Citizens" hifiguy Oct 2015 #68

I know, that's why I say early on deutsey Oct 2015 #36

Did you ever see Marat/Sade? Recursion Oct 2015 #40

No, I dunno why I didn't...but Schama who is an art professor at Columbia had CTyankee Oct 2015 #52

Peter Brook's 1967 film of Marat/Sade directing the company he directed in the original play.... Bluenorthwest Oct 2015 #53

^^ Thank you (nt) Recursion Oct 2015 #67

I'll see your Marat/Sade and raise you Danton Retrograde Oct 2015 #60

Clearly with ryan_cats Oct 2015 #10

LOL deutsey Oct 2015 #11

Well played, sir (nt) Recursion Oct 2015 #12

I would just have tried to keep my head Nye Bevan Oct 2015 #13

Yep, from what I read things got ugly fast. Orgy of blood... CTyankee Oct 2015 #16

Yeah it really did. 1793 got way out of control Recursion Oct 2015 #19

Pelting the riders of the tumbrels with rotten veggies. hobbit709 Oct 2015 #14

Since the French Revolution was about 70 years from beginning to end....what decade, exactly? Fred Sanders Oct 2015 #15

Given my options, clearly 1790-1794 (nt) Recursion Oct 2015 #24

The thing is the French Revolution is not something to emulate....70 years of carnage and strife can Fred Sanders Oct 2015 #31

How exactly in that era could the revolution really been any better? BillZBubb Oct 2015 #37

Actually, I would today start out in a moral Gandhian attempt at reason. mmonk Oct 2015 #17

While I'm correcting my own spelling: "Gandhi" Recursion Oct 2015 #41

Corrected and thanks. mmonk Oct 2015 #48

Way off to the side somewhere safe. nt bemildred Oct 2015 #18

Switzerland was good. Or America, or England. Recursion Oct 2015 #42

Yeah, you'd have to stay alert. bemildred Oct 2015 #44

Yup Recursion Oct 2015 #45

Since it was followed by chaos, repression and terror, stand with the king. pampango Oct 2015 #20

Leave. Sit it out somewhere nice. Switzerland maybe... CTyankee Oct 2015 #22

That is the worst option. BillZBubb Oct 2015 #34

Agreed. The 'jk' meant 'just kidding'. Standing with tyranny is not an option. n/t pampango Oct 2015 #38

I don't know enough about it. Xyzse Oct 2015 #21

The local parishes were mostly expropriated except for in Brittany Recursion Oct 2015 #43

Thanks for telling me. Xyzse Oct 2015 #56

I KNOW where I would have stood... yuiyoshida Oct 2015 #25

Hajimemashite (nt) Recursion Oct 2015 #28

Dozo Yoroshiku! yuiyoshida Oct 2015 #30

Somewhere in Boston. Adsos Letter Oct 2015 #26

Several taverns in both Cambridge and Boston were already open Recursion Oct 2015 #29

I'm going to go with the chopping block leftofcool Oct 2015 #27

Probably in the sous-sol frazzled Oct 2015 #33

To your moral equivocation I say BillZBubb Oct 2015 #35

This I have trouble believing: there are *no* DUers who would stand with the Jacobins? Recursion Oct 2015 #46

I'm sympathetic to Robespierre's initial views, but the later actions in the Terror.... Xithras Oct 2015 #50

That damned elusive Pimpernel! JHB Oct 2015 #47

Under the guillotine DFW Oct 2015 #49

Sadly,the French Revolution led to monstrous crimes and, ultimately, to Napoleon. Agnosticsherbet Oct 2015 #51

I would have stood far away. Really far away. Glassunion Oct 2015 #54

I don't know enough about them to make a choice Marrah_G Oct 2015 #55

Revolution eats its sons. Kevin43 Oct 2015 #57

Marat retired for health reasons and was stabbed in his bathtub Recursion Oct 2015 #58

I think he means Danton was guillotined, as well as Robespierre, when he said "both". Solly Mack Oct 2015 #64

I had a guide, a Brit, who was my guide in Paris and referred to the guillotinings as CTyankee Oct 2015 #69

Ouch! heh! My favorite guides have been those with a sense of humor. Solly Mack Oct 2015 #71

Not Marat DFW Oct 2015 #59

Get the hell out of there... hunter Oct 2015 #62

Tangling with a squid/crocodile while Jacques's lazy ass goes up river underpants Oct 2015 #63

With Jefferson in Virginia demwing Oct 2015 #65

Helping my fellow proles pull a tumbrel filled with aristocrats hifiguy Oct 2015 #66

I would have stood on the deck of the next ship out of there FLPanhandle Oct 2015 #70

With doc brown, trying to find and kill Baby Hitler's baby Granddad. Warren DeMontague Oct 2015 #72

On the left side ..as always,.here is an important fact,left and right came from this event: Stuart G Oct 2015 #73