And perhaps this is why the French Revolution is so controversial and open to interpretation. Some argue the revolution succeeded in spreading Enlightenment ideals, even if it didn't bring democracy to France. Others argue that the real legacy of the revolution wasn't the enhancement of liberty, but of state power. Regardless, I'd argue that the French Revolution was ultimately far more revolutionary than its American counterpart. I mean, in some ways America never had an aristocracy, but in other ways it continued to have one. The French Enlightenment thinker Diderot felt that Americans should fear a too unequal division of wealth, resulting in a small number of opulent citizens and a multitude of citizens living in misery. And the American Revolution did nothing to change that polarization of wealth.