One of the primary source in which we can learn a lot about change management and its come and goes is the French Revolution time. Some wise men from that time probably argue that the change doesn’t change anything; the result always ends up in the opposite direction, and the total costs are simply unacceptable.
At that time, the alliances of radicals, liberals, workers, and students were fractious. The liberals feared excessive upheaval but wanted to extend the franchise, freedom of assembly, the end of press censorship, equality under the law, and a modest amelioration of the plight of people experiencing poverty. Radical democrats and workers, on the other hand, were ready to tear down the pillars of an irredeemably unjust society.
As the revolutionaries divided, the forces of conservatism recovered their self-confidence—and with it, a willingness to use both unrestrained military forces and executions on a draconian scale. Following further upheavals and the spilling of much blood, the revolutions were essentially over by late 1849. French troops crushed the short-lived Roman Republic. The Hungarian Revolutionary Army was destroyed by forces loyal to the Habsburg Empire and a 300,000-strong Russian army of occupation.
Towers prevailed over squares. Hierarchies beat networks.
Power prevailed over ideas and arguments.
