Historian Francois Furstenberg compares the Bush presidency to the French Revolutionary period in The New York Times (“Bush’s Dangerous Liaisons”). Regardless of the political implications I think it is noteworthy the way that the French Revolution continues to be a lens through which contemporary politics and political clashes are understood.

Much as George W. Bush’s presidency was ineluctably shaped by Sept. 11, 2001, so the outbreak of the French Revolution was symbolized by the events of one fateful day, July 14, 1789. And though 18th-century France may seem impossibly distant to contemporary Americans, future historians examining Mr. Bush’s presidency within the longer sweep of political and intellectual history may find the French Revolution useful in understanding his curious brand of 21st- century conservatism.

Among the many carry-overs of the French Revolution that Furstenberg mentions is the original usage of the word “terrorist.”

A terroriste was, in its original meaning, a Jacobin leader who ruled France during la Terreur.