unprincipled peter
Donor
IMO, the French revolution as we know it was enabled by the calling of the Estates General. That was the King calling all the powers that wanted to undermine his authority and giving them control. It all spiraled downward for the monarchy and for France until Napoleon took over as a dictator.
Once a EG is called, it's game over for the Monarchy.
We talk about butterflies, but the King had the backing of no one. they tolerated him as long as he capitulated to them, which means no reform, and the same issues that caused the revolution OTL are still there. they are not butterflied away.
What changes is that you can delay the crisis so that the perfect storm of events isn't quite so perfect. The food crisis caused by unavoidable environmental factors are still there, but if you delay the economic crisis by several years (because France didn't spend like a drunken sailor aiding the American cause), you don't align the propertied class revolting because they don't want to pay taxes with a poverty class revolting because they have no food.
I don't think the revolution is inevitable. the causes are all still there, and there's going to be trouble, but getting all the ducks in a row to overthrow a system that's been in place for generations is (pardon the pun) revolutionary - ultra radical thought that only comes about in perfect conditions.
Once a EG is called, it's game over for the Monarchy.
We talk about butterflies, but the King had the backing of no one. they tolerated him as long as he capitulated to them, which means no reform, and the same issues that caused the revolution OTL are still there. they are not butterflied away.
What changes is that you can delay the crisis so that the perfect storm of events isn't quite so perfect. The food crisis caused by unavoidable environmental factors are still there, but if you delay the economic crisis by several years (because France didn't spend like a drunken sailor aiding the American cause), you don't align the propertied class revolting because they don't want to pay taxes with a poverty class revolting because they have no food.
I don't think the revolution is inevitable. the causes are all still there, and there's going to be trouble, but getting all the ducks in a row to overthrow a system that's been in place for generations is (pardon the pun) revolutionary - ultra radical thought that only comes about in perfect conditions.