Before the French Revolution, France was dominated by aristocrats who treated the lower classes as nothing more than the dirt beneath their feet. The result of their brutality led the starving and oppressed French citizens to incite an all-out rebellion. “The one and indivisible Republic of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death” is a phrase that fueled the French Revolution. The phrase reflected the intent of the revolutionaries, which was to form a republic where all were free, equal and bound by bonds of brotherhood that not even death could break. While their intentions may have seemed noble at first, the outcome certainly wasn't. The result was total chaos, and their so-called republic quickly became anarchy. Generally considered one of the greatest novels of all time, “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens shows the irony of the revolutionary phrase “The one and indivisible Republic of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death”. the French Revolution was to form a Republic. The Republic is defined as “a government in which the supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officials and representatives responsible to them and who govern according to law (Webster's dictionary)”. Although the initial plan was for a Republic, it was never achieved. The Revolution spiraled out of control and anarchy soon reigned. When the rebels overthrow the previous government it becomes clear that they want nothing to do with the government. “A Tale of Two Cities” shows that good intentions without a moral or a true plan can never create the desired outcome. Furthermore, the French people desired freedom. Freedom is defined as “the quality or… medium of paper… up to incarceration and subsequently being executed on the guillotine. Soon a bloodthirsty mock court ruled, putting many of its own citizens to death. People liked to see each other put to death, at least until they were the ones who got on the wagon to the guillotine. If it was death that started the revolution, it was death that led to its fall. “The one and indivisible Republic of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death”, a phrase that seemed noble at the time, but which ultimately achieved the exact opposite of the expected results. “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens shows how desperate and foolish the French Revolution really was. Using irony to perfection Dickens shows that a cause without morals is doomed to fail and helps no one. "A Tale of Two Cities" is written with such eloquence and realism that truly makes it one of the greatest novels in history.