Radical Simplicity
The revolutionary faith was shaped not so much by the critical rationalism of the French Enlightenment (as is generally believed) as by the occultism and proto-romanticism of Germany. This faith was incubated in France during the revolutionary era within a small subculture of literary intellectuals who were immersed in journalism, fascinated by secret societies, and subsequently infatuated with “ideologies” as a secular surrogate for religious belief. The professional revolutionaries who first appeared during the French Revolution sought, above all, radical simplicity.
James H. Billington’s Fire in the minds of men: origins of the revolutionary faith
(Source: books.google.com)
