The Jacobins unsuccessfully stage a coup d’état in a final attempt to restore their political power in France.  By the late 1790’s, France was ready to move away from their radical message.   A new government was elected.  A new Directory took its seat.  The European wars ground on.  Napoleon Bonaparte, now an accomplished and famous figure, proposed to invade Egypt to economically damage their English adversaries in retaliation for England’s blockade of France. 

China’s educational system was a wreck after nearly ten years of the culture revolution.  Black markets throughout China thrived in such things as western books, transistor radios, and foreign radio broadcasts.  Wang Hongwen was chosen as the new vice chair or premier replacing the deceased Lin Biao.  Mao Zedong traduced his longtime ally, Zhou Enlai, fearing his perceived lack of commitment to the communist cause.