/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.9956704]

The French Revolution was an event in which urban intellectuals, jealous of the Aristocracy used the masses to grasp control. They govern society with theory instead of principle, substitute quantity for quality. Just as the military need well trained leadership, so does society. Irreligious, Rational, Materialistic men sterilize everything by analyzing it; including themselves. Children are considered in terms of "pros" and "cons". Art, architecture, clothing, furniture, music lose their form, becoming ever changing popular fads.

Lacking discipline to reform themselves, intellectual "world improvers" constantly propose theories on how to govern society. All forms of social distinction, good manners, honor, authority, rank are ceaselessly attacked and deconstructed. This process will continue until the idea exhausts itself-- Nihilism and Chaos.

Destiny has put us in this era of decay. We can face our fate with courage, or be cowardly optimists.

Every culture has gone through its own form of Nihilism and Skepsis, where skeptics question everything. How long then, does a Culture survive? After a certain number of generations, each culture transforms into civilization. What was formerly alive, becomes rigid and cold. Expansiveness of mind and spirit is replaced with a lust for expansion in the MATERIAL world. Life guided by ideals is replaced by life guided by politics and economics. The power of these ideas becomes strong, so much that it leads to Imperialism. A sign of transformation: is a Socrates, Buddha, Lao Tsu, Rousseau. They enunciate ultimate, but Earthly ideals with practical and terminal ideas. The materialistic ideas of mass and number begin to dominate the culture, governments try to appeal to the most, plebeian catchwords are used "equality" "the common good" "the working man".

In this era of transition, a man like Alexander the Great emerges (for the west it is Napoleon). His immense military success is due to ignoring Chivalric military traditions. Materialist thought guides military strategy. Technology and Mass are used to win. Armies shrink in size soon after, into voluntary professional armies, most join for money or love of combat. Armies gradually become privatized, Pacifism becomes popular in reaction, Society becomes increasingly litigious, Money is an Idea, which slowly becomes more abstract, until it itself becomes a power. It buys state power, and over time, the lines separating Politics and Commerce slowly fade away. Business and government combine, forming an Imperial Government.

There are men who desire power, who cannot be stopped.

[Anonymous No.9956718]

>Art, architecture, clothing, furniture, music lose their form
what was the dominant style around that time, rococo? thank god for that then

[Anonymous No.9956738]

>>9956704
Bruh the reason the bourgeoisie took power isn't because of some clever plotting, but simply because the traditional elite abandoned their role.

Nobility died before the monarchy did.

[Anonymous No.9956748]

>>9956718
t. unrefined pleb incapable of appreciating the grandeur and luxury of rococo

[Anonymous No.9957069]

>>9956738
This. The aristocracy was in a continuous downward spiral. with a significant amount of families dying out. since at least the 16th century. I remember one historian in a book about the aristocracy going even further and basically saying that nobility was in a constant crisis ever since it's emergence, you can find historical documents talking about the demise of nobility all over the middle ages. 20th century traditionalists like Spengler were much so were yearning for a kind of fantasy-LARPING past that never happened rather than historical reality.

[Anonymous No.9957113]

>>9957069
>Spengler
>traditionalist
top jej

[Anonymous No.9957300]

>>9956704
>They govern society with theory instead of principle
that is nonsense too
the bourgeoisie replaced the value of honour, with the one of hard work. Which turned out to be a massive improvement for everyone.

[Anonymous No.9957320]

>>9956704
This guy's giving the French Revolutionaries too much credit. It really just kind of happened and was beyond anybody's control from the start. The angry Parisian mob was a runaway truck hell-bent on destroying France as it existed at the time, the bourgeoisie intellectuals were like a half-working steering wheel, giving vague direction to the madness before being consumed in the ultimate destruction like everything else.

I agree on the idea of rationality leading to materialism, emptiness and social madness though. Our society is technically built on rational principles but the amount of irrational shit going on constantly is mind-blowing.

[Anonymous No.9957347]

>>9957320
The point is the french revolution was the beginning of several such movements across the continent

[Anonymous No.9957386]

>>9957320
>Our society is technically built on rational principles
is it?

[Anonymous No.9957389]

>>9957386
most would probably say so

[Anonymous No.9957506]

>>9956704
That's pretty unconvincing. Socrates (and Plato) and Rousseau weren't really materialists, and the most raidical phase of the revolution (September 1792-July 1794) was dominated by idealist theories.
Alexander and Napoleon come from entirely different backgrounds with respect to their cultures and did entirely different things. Comparing them beyond their military prowess is pretty stupid.
Not to mention that armies have swollen following the revolution.

[Anonymous No.9957516]

>>9956704
Is this bait?

[Anonymous No.9958087]

The French Revolution Was a Mistake - Hayao Miyazaki

[Anonymous No.9958099]

>>9957389
most also go to reddit where they fit in with the majority opinion

[Anonymous No.9958116]

>>9956704
>jealous of the Aristocracy
Stopped reading here. I love how LARPers in the past genuinely thought that being an aristocrat meant that you were better, superior human beings. How much time did it take for Europeans to figure out that it was all propaganda?

[Anonymous No.9958145]

>>9958116
I love how mad nerds online use the term LARPer