Goal of the aristocracy during the French revolution: "Stayin' Alive"
The French Revolution is the period in French history from 1789 to 1799 during which the monarchy was abolished, marked by waves of national violence (including death by guillotine), social upheaval, and global conflicts with monarchist nations (including Great Britain and Russia). The shifts during the decade were such that leading figures of the Revolution (such as Maximilian Robespierre) were themselves led to the guillotine in later stages, and the Revolution ended with the rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The period served as the backdrop of the Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities.
References[]
- In episode 313 of The Muppet Show, Kermit introduces Miss Piggy (as Marie Antoinette) and the pigs at the palace of Versailles. The assembled aristocrats sing the rather ironic "Stayin' Alive," but disperse when the guillotine surfaces in the background.
- In the first season Dog City episode "The Bloodhound," Ace Hart and Eddie hide in a wax museum display of the French Revolution (helpfully labeled "The French Revolution"). The display includes a guillotine and a wax figure of Marie Antoinette (as well as a canine king, presumably Louis XVI).
- In the Farscape episode "Crackers Don't Matter," John Crichton asks Aeryn Sun and Rygel, "Is this a French Revolution type of thing?" when he comes across them taking an abundance of crackers for themselves.