how does power affect people?

The power structure during the French revolution is put into a blender. The aristocracy, who once had power, are being marched to the guillotine. Power is intoxicating and easily abused. The French aristocracy were famous for their decadent lifestyles while common people died in the streets. To the rich, power was a birthright. When the aristocracy toppled, the French masses felt this same power coursing through their veins. This combined with their thirst for vengeance made for an ugly situation. The league of the Scarlet Pimpernel attempted to mitigate these revenge killings. Even they, however, are not immune to the power they have. The detective Chauvelin becomes obsessed with the power he has to interrogate people at will. In any case, I'll provide a link to the GradeSaver site where you can examine this in greater detail.