Now, these were no longer absolute monarchs who claimed that their right to rule came from God. They were constitutional monarchs of the kind that the revolutionaries of 1789 had originally envisioned. But the fact remains that France had a king again, and a nobility, and an established religion, and it was definitely not a democracy or a republic. 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.