Scenario: Tthe French Revolution and Louis XVI
When looking at the French Revolution through the convenient lens of 20/20 hindsight, we are generally left with the impression that the juggernaut of events that preceded and followed the storming of the Bastille could have all been avoided if Louis XVI had just made the effort to listen to his people and assert himself as a leader.
With these notions in mind, discuss what you think Louis could have done differently to literally save his own head. As you do this, keep in mind that people make decisions based on the information available to them at the time. Remember, as Mark Twain so aptly put it, "To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time...not ours" (Quotes by Twain, 2006).