cahn | Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 45

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Unfortunately, there was then at Berlin a King who pursued one policy only, who deceived his enemies, but not his servants, and who lied without scruple, but never without necessity.

(from The King's Secret - by Duke de Broglie, grand-nephew of the subject of the book, Comte de Broglie, and grandfather of the physicist) )

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From:

selenak

As luck would have it, I'm currently listening to the Haiti Revolution season of Mike Duncan's "Revolutions" which naturally has a lot Toussaint Louverture as well.

It's also interesting how racism increased during the 17th and 18th centuries--at first, social station/class sometimes trumped race, such that people of color could be plantation owners, and poor white people were classed with poor free people of color. But at the end of the period, there was a crackdown on wealthier free people of color, who often owned enslaved people of their own or aspired to it, to keep them down economically and socially.

Yes, I found that fascinating as well. Both that early in the 18th Century, a white guy could count himself lucky if he managed to marry the daughter of a rich free man of color/planatation owner, and that most of the wealthier pocs were 100% on board with slavery, and that post 7 Years War, the heavy racism where all poc had to wear distinctive clothing and got heavy restrictions etc. showed up.

From:

luzula

Oh cool, perhaps I should check out that Revolutions podcast--I've heard of it before.

From:

selenak

It's pretty good. The Haiti Revolution is the story of its fourth season. I will say that I think despite the sheer length of the third season, which is about the French Revolution, it's worth going through that first if you're not already familiar with the most important French Revolution data and factions, because a lot of the Haiti Revolution happens in reaction to goings on in France, including the constant shifts in policy and power struggles depending on who's on top. (Especially once we're nearing the Terreur phase, by the time commissioners from France have arrived and step of the boat, back in Paris there's another faction in power favouring a different policy towards Sainte Domingue.) But if you already know your Girondins from your Jacobins, you should be good to go with solely the fourth season. I didn't listen to the Revolutions in chronological order, either.

(They are: - British Revolution/Civil War (i.e. Cromwell and pals)
- American Independence
- French Revolution
- Haiti Revolution
- South American Revolution (Simon Bolivar as the main character of the later half)
- July Revolution (1830)
- 1848 European Revolutions
- Paris Commune (1872)
- Mexican Revolution(s)
- Russian Revolution

One season per Revolution, though the Paris Commune just gets a miniseries, so to speak. And the French and Russian Revolutions, by contrast, get giganto seasons.