This sway is felt particularly strongly by those who are interested in history: for the French Revolution not only altered the course of history radically, but became the fountainhead of historicism and the origin of the historical mentality. And yet the Revolution's memory continues to hold sway over imaginations and cultures around the world. Napoleon's armies ceased to march around Europe long ago, and Louis XVIII even returned to occupy the throne of his guillotined brother.
Three decades ago, François Furet famously announced that the French Revolution was over.
