Les Cordeliers - Issue IV
Manifest for a Modern Revolutionary Republic
Le Préfet
In principle, the Revolution has finished. I stood with you on the barricades, once at the Bastille, and again at the Luxembourg, as we clamoured to bring an end to the era of ancien régime. We stood together as Louis XVI, King, ruler, tyrant, opted to stand down to save his life. And that was the end of the battle for liberty that France has fought for many centuries. Or was it? We might have created an opportunity to create a modern Revolutionary Republic, but it is up to us to use that opportunity. There is still much to be done.
France must become a Republic of Virtue, where not heritage and descent are decisive factors for an individual’s standing, but his merit and experience. A farmer’s son should have an equal chance to become First Minister, lawyer or a General as a rich nobleman’s heir. We have achieved liberty, now it is time to put equality into practise. To this end, Paris must become the worldwide capital of enlightenment, a place where Revolutionary thinkers from all over Europe can gather, speak freely and educate the youth.
France must remain a fully sovereign state, free from the influence of any foreign power. No real Frenchman would agree to be subjected to the absolute rule of the Kaiser, and he knows this. However, the Germans have other means to attempt to oppress us, which we must equally oppose. There are some who have given in to the enemy’s attempts to divide us, and if the Austrians have their way these men will reign over us - but we will not yield. Any noble or Monarchist of other ilk who betrays his motherland must be punished as a traitor and enemy of the state.
There is only one way to ensure the future of our nation. The military force must be reformed to be reliable and steadfast. With professional soldiers and inspired officers, we will repel the threat to our nation without a problem. As deserters are dealt with, those men shall remain who have put their hearts and minds into the Revolution, who would put their lives on the line to defend it. Whatever happens, the Cordeliers shall stand by the military as a guarantee of Revolutionary values.
Finally, we must divide the government’s expenses to aid cities and the countryside alike, and help famers develop more durable and reliable ways of growing their crops. No Empire has ever been built on the foundations of a famine, so to ensure the stability of Revolutionary France we must first take care to reduce the devastating effects of a blight. We must put the well-being of the People above expensive traditions of the Monarchist nobility. No war and none of their castles may stand in the way of feeding the ones you love. We recognize that your well-being is the ultimate goal of the Revolution. So, for an end to this devastating war; for an end to oppression; for an end to hunger; vote for the Cordeliers.
Vote for Jacques Nazaire Aulard.