Who are you in Revolutionary France?

Aux armes, citoyens! Vive la Revolution! Welcome, citizen, to Revolutionary France. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was frankly the most alarming of times, as Madame Guillotine cast her long shadow over Europe. This quiz aims to give you some idea of the issues at stake over the course of the French Revolution from the storming of the Bastille in 1789 until roughly the rise of the Directory in 1794. See where your answers match up with the various factions in the Revolutionary landscape.

Take the quiz an extra time or two and play around with your answers to see what results you obtain. While this is a rough-and-ready assessment, the aim is to give you some idea of the diversity of political tendencies that took shape during the Revolution. From the first stirrings of the Estates-General to the Terror, it was a political rollercoaster. More clubs, factions and glorified drinking societies were founded than you can shake a liberty cap at. This quiz allows you to give your answers to the huge questions facing France between 1789 and 1794, and work out which faction you’d have been a member of. What should we do with Louis Capet? Is Terror your bag? What are your chances of avoiding an appointment with the National Razor? Are you a Catholic loyalist or a bloodthirsty sans-culotte nutter? Let’s find out. Enjoy the quiz – but remember, don’t get too excited and lose your head!

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What role should the monarchy play in the new France?
- All of the king's former powers must be restored. He answers to God alone, not to the Estates or anyone else.
- The king should serve as the Head of the Nation in a new constitutional order; a strong executive is needed to counter the excesses of democracy.
- The king should have a limited role as First Citizen for the sake of stability, but sovereign power ultimately derives from the nation.
- We want a republic! The monarchy is a corrupt relic and must be swept away to inaugurate a new era of equality.
- THE CITY ATTRACTION OF THE HEAD ON THE CITY PIKE!
What should we do with the monarchy?
- All of the king's former powers must be restored.
- Cut his power down to size, but retain him as a ceremonial head of state with some limited veto power. We should persuade him to follow the English model of a mixed and balanced constitution..
- He should be a figurehead/constitutional monarch. (similar to modern day UK)
- The King should be a normal citizen nothing more, nothing less.
- The king and his family should be apprehended and sent off to exile in Austria.
- HEADS ROLLIN' À LA GUILLOTINE!
- This 'King Louis the Second' you speak of does not exist and has never exist, but if he did he would have been a dangerous thought criminal but simply ceased to exist.
How far should political participation extend in the new order?
- Frenchmen are subjects, not citizens. Their true rights and liberties come from the sovereign, and the nobility should take the lead in the state, as they always have.
- While all citizens have certain basic rights, not everyone has the right to participate in political life. Property and educational qualifications should strictly separate active from passive citizens.
- All men have the right to have their voices heard at the ballot box, though actual governance should be left to representative institutions
- The common people are the guardians of the Revolution, and their will must guide the nation, not that of a few elites. Democracy can't be confined to the Assembly, but must take place on the streets. Republicanism is not far enough America did not go far enough we must install true direct democracy!
- OCHLOCRACY, POPULISM, KAKISTOCRACY NOW!
What role should the Church and religion play in French society?
- France is the eldest daughter of the Holy Church, and the rights of the clergy must be maintained. Revolutionary radicalism is a dangerous atheist conspiracy.
- Certain abuses in the Church should be corrected, but the Church's privileged position in society is important for social stability.
- The clergy should lose their unfair privileges, the separation between church and state should be absolute.
- Religion is okay to practice but only in private and the church should be subordinated to government control.
- Priests are blood-sucking charlatans, and their kind should wiped from the land. Man is the measure of all things.
- LONG LIVE THE SUPREME BEING DEATH TO ITS ENEMIES FOLLOW THE GREAT VIRTUE OF REASON AND LIBERTY!
How do you view the prospect of war with the monarchical powers of Europe?
- Foreign invasion would be a blessing if it means the restoration of the Bourbons to their God-given power. The Revolution is a threat to the stability of all legitimate governments.
- France should defend itself if absolutely necessary, but war does not bode well for the success of the revolution. Moreover, the Revolution's ideals cannot be imposed abroad at gunpoint.
- The crowned heads of Europe should tremble before our armies. War against foreign powers is not only a patriotic duty, but an opportunity to liberate the oppressed peoples beyond our borders.
- EXPAND LIBERATE EXPAND WE SHALL RULE EUROPE. HAIL GENERAL BONAPART!
What role should the state play in the economy?
- The old system of mercantilism and local monopolies works best. The state should play an active role to enhance national prosperity and power.
- The more corrupt features of the old economic system should be reformed carefully, and the rights of property-owners must be protected. However, there should be no sudden upheaval in political economy.
- Property is a fundamental right, and all men must be given the opportunity to profit from their own labor. Open markets and the demise of unjust monopolies and privileges will create a prosperous society.
- The Old Regime's system of economic privileges was corrupt and must be abolished; at the same time, the state must take a firm stand against speculators and market manipulators in order to safeguard the revolution. Profit can be no excuse for betraying the nation.
- The welfare of the common people must be paramount, even if it means far-reaching government controls. The state must ensure the provision of basic commodities and protect the public from the greed of merchants. Corrupt financiers are the scourge of the people and must be crushed.
- All property and economic inequality must be abolished. Only then will we be truly free and equal.
- PERSONAL PROPERTY IS THEFT! EVENLY DISTRIBUTE TOUTH BRUSHES AMONGST THE PEOPLE
What are your thoughts on slavery in the French colonies?
- All this talk of equality can only end in anarchy, whether at home or in the colonies.
- We should attempt to reform and improve the conditions of slavery before we decide on its ultimate fate. More radical measures will only threaten the stability of colonial society.
- Slavery is immoral and should end, but it will take a long process of development and education before freed slaves are ready to take up the responsibilities of citizenship.
- All Frenchmen of all colors are part of the universal Republic, and must be accorded the full rights of citizens.
- EQUALITY? NO! I SAY REVENGE
What are your thoughts on women's rights
- THEY WANT WHAT!? BURN THY WITCHES!
- Again all this talk of equality can only end in anarchy, women need to stay passive and obedient.
- Women are under treated but are not ABSOLUTELY equal to men.
- Moving towards Women's rights is a gradual and slow process.
- Women and Men are absolutely equal.
- Gender is a spook!
- Wait guy witchcraft does exist but its actually like hip and cool! Right? Guys?
- RADICAL FEMINISM, LONG LIVE THE TERFs!
What should the relationship be between the government in Paris and the provinces?
- URBISM NOW!
- The ancient institutions of France's diverse towns and regions are safeguards against tyranny. The centralizing madness of Paris is trampling over hallowed customs and rights.
- The tangle of regional laws and institutions is in need of reform, and a strong central government is a necessity. That said, the country cannot be run as if it were a homogeneous blank slate, and some forms of local governance are a necessity.
- The nation is one and indivisible: any form of federalism can only weaken the sovereignty of the united French people. Strong central government is needed to defend the Revolution from her enemies
- Federalism is a nefarious plot against the working people of Paris. Paris is the heart of the Revolution and her people must be satisfied, even if that means maintaining strict controls over the economy of the provinces to ensure the standard of living for the urban masses.
- When all forms of privilege and inequality whatsoever are abolished, the problems of center and periphery will disappear.
- ABOLISH LOCAL GOVERNANCE!
What are your thoughts on the Rights of Man?
- This 'Rights of Man' you speak of does not exist, but if it did it would be thought criminal deg******cy and it and its writer would simply cease to exist.
- A diabolical fiction and a mask for subversion.
- They are real enough, but we can only hope to protect them if we first establish a strong and stable government. Order precedes justice.
- They are the fundamental basis of any true constitution, and any government that does not take them as its basis is illegitimate.
- Abstract equal rights are one thing, but real material equality for everyone is the goal.
What do you think about Terror in defense of the Revolution?
- The Revolution's grotesque violence only goes to show that it is God's judgement on France for its wickedness.
- Terror and slaughter is a natural consequence of allowing democracy to reign unchecked by authority.
- I very much support the revolution, but oppose the death penalty, perhaps we can consider exile or imprisonment if needed
- The Revolution must be able to defend itself against its enemies, including by Terror, but its zeal must be tempered to avoid spinning out of control.
- Against the enemies of the nation, Terror is not simply expedient but virtuous. No faithlessness to the cause can be tolerated. The more pitiless our response to reactionaries and traitors, the better in the long run.
- The newly-liberated masses must be allowed to wipe out their oppressors, even when they falsely call themselves revolutionaries. Let them fear the people!
- THOSE WHO DON'T CONSTANTLY SCREAM LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION, ARE COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARIES AND À LA GUILLOTINE!
What is your view of human nature?
- Man is sinful, and hence governments are instituted by the Almighty to restrain him.
- Human beings are essentially good and rational when allowed to freely cooperate with one another, but they are corrupted by unjust institutions.
- Human beings are purely defined by their material circumstances and can only realize their full potential when those circumstances are transformed.
- I literally follow Max Stirner.
Cheers mate, god saved the queen.
- Yeah, God Saved The Queen!
- Yeah God Sav- NO! DAMNIT! THIS IS BOURGEOIS PROPAGANDA! HANG THE PARASITES! ALL POWER TO THE WORKERS'!
- What does this have to do with the French Revolution?

Who are you in Revolutionary France?

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