Balzac believed the changes of the French Revolution and industrialization had merely replaced an old aristocracy with a new one: a materialistic middle class.

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Balzac's views on the French Revolution and industrialization are reflected in many of his works, where he portrays the rise of the bourgeoisie as a new form of aristocracy with its own codes, values, and aspirations. He saw the bourgeoisie as driven by greed, ambition, and egoism, and lacking in nobility, refinement, and culture, which he associated with the old aristocracy. Thus, he believed that the changes of the times had merely replaced an old ruling class with a new one, but one that was equally flawed and corrupt.

Balzac Believed the Changes of the French Revolution and Industrialization