Political Executions — Louis XVI
Louis XVI’s execution is perhaps the most famous political killing of all time.
There are plenty of difficulties in the world today: a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and racial unrest, to name but a few. Yet, one problem that does not exist, at least not in the United States, is the execution of our political leaders. If you take the long view of history, this is truly an outlier. The killing of political opponents used to be the default for centuries.
Of course, that’s not to say that political repression doesn’t still exist today. Many countries remain under the grip of dictators who regularly jail or execute their own citizens. But in most industrialized countries, the days when the leader of a political movement was executed have hopefully disappeared into the rear-view mirror.
I’ve always been fascinated by the past, and in particular, the people whose stories we call history. Just like today, there are heroes, villains, geniuses, and fools. There are stories of courage, cowardice, hope, and despair. And of all the stories, the ones that tell of a political execution seem most compelling.
So I’ve set out to tell some of those stories. Not all of the condemned are innocent; not all of the executioners are well-intentioned. Such is the way of the…
