@Background Pony #38EB
(laughs) Well, I’m actually part of the European Green Party, but I have a lot of social democratic friends, and I don’t take offense at this term. But I know that some people try to put everything they don’t understand ecologically right in the left corner. By the way, I’d be grateful if you wouldn’t take my historical analogy out of context. Obviously, I was talking about the two-class system. Or to put it more simply for you: The ever widening gap between rich and poor. ;-)
One of the main reasons for the fall of the (West) Roman empire was not because it was attacked by foreign forces, but because it broke down due to internal problems of the empire. This was due to a severe financial crisis. The ongoing wars and high expenditures had severely weakened the treasury; the constant tax increases and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor. In the hope of avoiding tax payments, many wealthy citizens of Rome had fled to the countryside and had established independent fiefdoms there.
At the same time, the empire lacked manpower. The economic strength of Rome depended on the slaves who worked the country and were artisanal. Through the many military successes, Rome was able to turn many defeated peoples into serfs. But when expansion did not progress further in the 2nd century, the supply of slaves and other war booties dried up. With this uncertain economic situation and agriculture in decline, the empire lost its power over Europe. The incursion of Germanic tribes was merely the final act in this prime example of how a corrupt elite, only interested in its own assets, is incapable of adjusting to radical changes. Not to mention stopping the fall of the empire.
France was also hollowed from the inside out by a cosmopolitan intelligentsia that undermined tradition with cancerous ideology
Oh, that’s good. This could be straight from the pamphlet of the angry little Reichsbürger. Can I send this to my old history professor? I think that she would also like to have a heartfelt laugh like me right now.
The causes of the French Revolution lay in the political, economic and social crisis of the absolutist state. King Louis XVI ruled France with an absolutist claim in alliance with the nobility and the religious dignitaries. The king and the two privileged estates were by no means willing to give up their privileges, such as tax exemption. Even less were they willing to share political power with the non-privileged citizens and peasants (third class). On the contrary: the demand for the right of political participation of the Third Reich. The estate was strictly rejected by the king, the nobility and the church: Above all, the peasants, mainly serfs, should continue to bear the brunt of the luxurious and wasteful life of the first and second estates. And the well-established social order, which gave every person in France his place in society, was to be preserved.
The expensive standing army and long-standing wars had driven France to the brink of financial ruin. The struggles with Great Britain for the colonies in America exacerbated the financial crisis of France; after decades of conflict, the country had lost almost all of its colonies and their "treasures”; to Great Britain. In order to take revenge for the defeat, France supported the American struggle for independence against Great Britain from 1776. The financial and military involvement of the French state in the American struggle for freedom, however, caused the national debt to grow astronomically. Thus, one third of the state budget had to be spent solely on the repayment of interest from the public debt.
In this context, bourgeois reformers also criticized the following contradiction: On the one hand, France supported the English colonies with large sums of money, which struggled for freedom, equality of the people and for political self-determination. On the other hand, these values were violently denied to the French people.
In 1787 and 1788, the antagonisms between the absolutist regime and the mass of French citizens intensified. This explosive situation was exacerbated by a crop failure that occurred in 1788. It led to a shortage of goods while at the same time increasing prices and also plunged many French people into misery. As a result, the anger and mistrust of the masses against the ruling upper class intensified further, especially since the necessary economic reforms continued to fail due to the resistance of the nobility and the church.
The situation escalated when the king had troops brought to Paris, summoned a new government loyal to him and raised new tariffs on food. In this situation, the citizens of Paris attacked on the 14th of March. 7. 1789 to the weapons. They stormed the Bastille, the fortress-like royal state prison on the outskirts of the capital, which stood as a symbol for the whole hated regime. The crew was then massacred by the enraged crowd, and the commander’s skewered head was carried through the streets of the city as a symbol of victory.
So, why am I telling you all this? Because it is obvious that great empires end very quickly when the elites (the privileged, the rich and influential groups) place their interests above the good of the people. Without sustainability and a sense of responsibility, no economic system can survive in the long term. And as I have already said, the situation seems to repeat itself. I am not saying that things are necessarily the same, but there are clear parallels.
If there is something I would like to criticise with my words, it’s just that civil servants and business leaders must never make the mistake of elevating themselves above the general public. All too often the impression arises that politicians think that they themselves are the state. They’re not. The state is the people. And the people are the state. Not a small privileged clique of super-rich. It is precisely human hubris that brings down entire nations. Well, it’s good that we can always build something new from the ashes. But does that really have to be? I would prefer a non-violent path at any time. But I am not afraid to defend the people with a gun in my hand if necessary.
