Contrary to Marxist theory, revolutions are often initiated by an excess of educated elites, not the working class. Unable to find a suitable place in the economy, these elites adopt a resentment-fueled ideology of "oppressed vs. oppressor" learned in academia.

In a disastrous strategic move, the moderate Girondin faction used a new law to indict their radical enemy, Jean-Paul Marat. The plan failed spectacularly when Marat was acquitted by a sympathetic court and carried back to the convention as a hero, cementing his power and fatally weakening his accusers.

Contrary to romanticized views, violent uprisings historically hurt the working and middle classes most. The French Revolution's Reign of Terror executed thousands of middle-class citizens—lawyers, merchants, and farmers—not just aristocrats. The elite often have the resources to escape, while the masses bear the brunt of the chaos.

The French Revolution wasn't a workers' uprising but was led by an 'overproduction of elites'—educated individuals who felt entitled to high-status jobs they couldn't get. This suggests social upheaval is often driven by downwardly mobile, educated classes whose expectations are unmet.

It's rarely the workers who rise up. It is the "overproduced elites"—educated individuals whose high expectations are unmet by their economic reality—who spearhead revolutionary movements fueled by resentment.

History, particularly the French Revolution, shows that when a society reaches a point where the working class cannot afford basic necessities despite their labor, the risk of violent upheaval skyrockets. This reflects a simmering rage against a perceived obscene wealth gap.

The romantic notion of revolution ignores its bloody reality. The French Revolution's guillotine, initially for aristocrats, ultimately killed lawyers, merchants, and even its architect, Robespierre. Such chaos creates a power vacuum, allowing figures like Napoleon to seize control.

The key instruments of the Reign of Terror, such as the Revolutionary Tribunal and the Committee of Public Safety, were not part of a preconceived blueprint. They were created on an ad hoc basis in the spring of 1793 in panicked response to overlapping military, economic, and internal crises.

History shows a recurring cycle in revolutions where the activists and idealists who help destabilize a country—so-called 'useful idiots'—are often the first to be killed by the new autocratic regime they usher in. This pattern was seen in Russia, Iran, and with the French Revolution.