The French Revolution brought numerous groups, factions, and political figures from obscurity to power, each achieving executive and legislative supremacy that would have been unthinkable in the previous decade. The unprecedented momentum of the Revolution, however, turned radical reformers into conservative counter-revolutionaries as the speed of change pushed past their ideals. In the end, those who rose to authority via the tide of revolution were purged and executed as the newly victorious faction took their place.
In SaturnÕs Children, Rossitsa Mina Petrova follows the turbulent lives of prominent figures and groups who all fell victim to the French RevolutionÕs insatiable hunger. In this vivid historical narrative, she analyzes the rise and fall of Philippe ƒgalitŽ, the Liberal Nobles, the Girondins, the Cordeliers, and Maximilien Robespierre.