m, including that which was good. France in the late 1780s and early 1790s was every bit as chaotic as Russia in 1917 and 1918. Even those who supported the Revolution admitted that the political situation in France in those years was little more than a tyranny of the masses.
However, these supporters, including Paine, claimed that such a situation was an inevitable result of the centuries-old tyranny of the monarchy. The monarchical system of government was the worst form of government there could be, for it flouted the will of those who were governed. Natural sovereignty lay with the people, not with the Crown. Governors must only govern with the consent of the governed. To do otherwise would violate the natural rights of men, those rights all individuals are born with. The law of the land can only flow from these rights; it must serve to protect them. Law made by monarchs who rule without the consent of the governed is illegitimate and not worthy of obedience. In the final analysis, the monarchy was a parasitical beast, feeding off the true sovereigns, the people, while returning nothing.
Burke disagreed with the very basis of these arguments. He believe
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